The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Schools must be free of toxic contaminants
“Mommy, I have a rash…”
No, this is not a symptom of COVID-19, this is the result of this child going back to a school contaminated with toxins.
According to Gov. Ned Lamont, more than half a million students have returned to classes in Connecticut. Waiting for them could be toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mold and lead, among others.
In an interview with National Public Radio (2015), Sen. Chris Murphy was quoted as saying, “The level of toxic chemicals found in schools across Connecticut is deeply troubling.”
Studies conducted in the public and private sectors conclude more than 600 schools, roughly 49 percent, built between 1950 and 1979 in Connecticut most likely contain these substances that have the potential to sicken both teachers and students. Among them is PCBs, one of the most dangerous chemicals in the world.
PCBs can cause low birthrates, cancer, impaired cognitive development in children, skin rashes, liver damage and respiratory infections. It was used in a variety of building materials used in school construction before being outlawed in 1979.
The John C. Clark School in Hartford was closed in 2014 as PCBs were detected throughout the building. A member of the Hartford Board of Education said the school “represents hopelessness” as the highest level of the toxin was nearly 2,000 times above the EPA’s regulated level. According to the Hartford School Building Committee, remediation plans were delayed by the EPA’s lengthy bureaucratic process. The school now borders on dereliction.
An investigation by Hartford Public Schools found that 15 schools were built or renovated before 1979 are still open and 11 of them were never tested. Federal regulations do not require testing for PCBs in building materials and federal law pre-empts states instituting such measures. The EPA allows students to attend classes as long as windows are open, the building aired out and dust is kept down.
“… it’s real itchy …”
A survey by the Connecticut Education Association of 1,200 teachers from 344 schools in 104 districts revealed stories of dangerous work environments that were leading to respiratory problems attributed to mold in classrooms in addition to making teaching and learning difficult. Some had to go on sick leave as a result of exposure to mold.
They cited building disrepair causing water to seep up through floors, pouring down windows and rain flooding classrooms causing moldy, stained, sagging and broken ceiling tiles. In some instances the classroom temperatures reached 85 or 100 degrees, providing the ideal breeding ground for mold.
Legal counsel to the association said, “The union will be seeking legislation this year (2020) to ensure that renovations are conducted in a timely way to prevent some of the issues that have occurred.”
“… and my tummy hurts ….”
Public policy researchers concluded in their report, “Get the Lead Out,” that states “are doing a terrible job” regarding excessive lead in public school drinking water. They graded the state of Connecticut with an “F” for pre-2014 plumbing fixtures still in use.
Lead exposure can impair how children grow, result in lower IQs, and initiate or result in antisocial and violent behavior.
The report concluded, “In all likelihood, the confirmed cases of lead in schools’ water are just the tip of the iceberg.” The state only requires schools using independent water systems, about 15 percent of all schools, to be checked.
In the same interview with NPR, Sen. Murphy said he worries “that affluent schools will be able to get rid of PCBs, but poorer districts will remain contaminated.”
Case in point; a middle school in Westport was cleaned of mold, a $3.2 million remediation project fully funded by the community.
Regarding the Clark School in Hartford, one board member said, “The remediation of the PCBs in this school is a minimum of $1 million. And, the Board of Education, we don’t have that in our general budget.”
Granted, remediation of some schools was completed or is now underway in others but far more needs to be done. The state of Connecticut should step up to this blight by underwriting the remediation of all contaminated schools through the so-called Rainy Day Fund of taxpayer money and clean up these schools without the obligatory Gordian knot of red tape so both teachers and students can enjoy the educational experience together in safe learning environments.
“Mommy, do I have to go to school tomorrow?”
The state of Connecticut should step up to this blight by underwriting the remediation of all contaminated schools through the so-called Rainy Day Fund of taxpayer money and clean up these schools.