False PCB alarm

Burlington VT

18 November, 2021

5:35 PM

Description

Vermont's largest city may have needlessly spent millions of dollars for a new high school plan, state officials said. The Vermont Department of Health quietly updated the way it assesses airborne levels of cancer-causing chemicals, a decision that comes ahead of a statewide testing program for hundreds of schools across the state. The newly created "action levels" are significantly higher than the "screening level" the state has previously used to flag excessive amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in indoor air. Burlington High School decided to shut its doors after testing last year showed levels above the state's threshold of 15 nanograms per cubic meter, along with extensive PCB contamination in building materials. But the new levels are 100 nanograms per cubic meter for high school buildings, a level not exceeded by most of the classrooms at Burlington High School's Institute Road campus. The discovery of the safety of the now-vacant Burlington High School property may suggest that political officials in Burlington exaggerated the alleged PCB danger. Last school year, district officials decided to forgo $70 million in renovations that voters approved and recently decided to build a new school. It is unclear whether the state's decision will impact this plan. Top school officials were unavailable for comment.