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2. Health Education
Physical Education
Family/Community Involvement
Health Promotion for Staff
Health Services
Nutrition Services
Healthy School Environment
EPA understands that schools have a tremendous amount of work they must juggle to deliver a quality education and ensure a sound and healthy environment for staff and children.
A Healthy School environment is only one of the spokes in the environmental health “wheel”.
Today we will be speaking about XXXXX and how EPA can help you ensure through the application of our resources and tools a healthy environment.
Counseling, Psychological
and Social Services 2

3. Today we will share information about
Polychlorinated Biphenyls, or PCBs, and schools.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 3

4. What are Polychlorinated Biphenyls, or PCBs?
Polychlorinated Biphenyls, or PCBs, are organic chemicals that were used in construction materials and electrical products produced before 1979.
They have a range of toxicities and vary in consistency from thin,
light-colored liquids to yellow or black waxy solids.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 4

5. PCBs and Health Effects
PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of adverse health effects.
Studies in humans provide supportive evidence for potential carcinogenic effects of PCBs.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 5

6. PCBs and Health Effects For more information about PCBs in Schools:
PCBs have been shown to cause cancer in animals.
PCBs have also been shown to cause a number of serious non-cancer health effects in animals, including effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, endocrine system and other health effects.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 6

7. In recent years, EPA has learned that caulk containing polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) was used in some buildings, including schools,
in the 1950s through the 1970s.
Buildings built after 1979 are less likely to contain caulk
that contains PCBs.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 7

8. Caulk is a flexible material used to seal gaps around windows,
masonry and joints in buildings and it can help seal other structures so that they are watertight or airtight.
EPA does not have information
on the extent of the use of PCB-containing caulk
or whether it was primarily used in certain
geographic areas.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 8

9. The PCBs are contained within the light ballasts' capacitors and
Please note: Schools in the U.S. that were constructed prior to 1979 have been found to contain PCB light ballasts.
The PCBs are contained within the light ballasts' capacitors and
in the ballasts' potting material, which is used for insulation.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 9

10. As long as the PCBs remain in the ballasts and potting material, they do not pose a health risk or environmental hazard.
However, as they age, the ballasts degrade, increasing the risk of leaks or even fires, which can release the PCBs into the air or drip PCBs onto surfaces below. These risks would pose a health and environmental hazard. 10

11. To date, PCBs have been found in buildings
in the northeastern United States
and in joints in concrete water storage basins
in the western United States.
For more information about PCBs in Schools: 11

12. For more information about PCBs and Schools:
PCB Guidance Reinterpretation
PCBs in Schools Research 12

13. Additional School Resources
Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) is a software tool from EPA designed to help school districts conduct voluntary, customized self-assessments of their school facilities for environmental, health, and safety hazards.
EPA's voluntary School Siting Guidelines can help local school districts (local education agencies or LEAs) and community members evaluate environmental factors to make the best possible school siting decisions It includes an overview for the guidelines, as well as links to resources and additional environmental health information. 13

14. Thank you! 14