[ciaq] EPA News Release - PCBs in Caulkþ

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Dear IEQ List,And this press release came out last September (2009) on the same topic (PCBs in Caulk). Cutz, CIHMarkham, Ontario, CanadaFOR YOUR GENERAL INFORMATION & REFERENCE...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ciaq] EPA

News Release - PCBs in Caulkþ

From:

CIAQ

EMail (ciaq@...)

Sent:

September

28, 2009 12:23:20 PM

To:

CIAQ

Subscribers -- For Your Information

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CONTACT: Dale Kemery (kemery.dale@...

, , or 4355)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September

25, 2009

EPA Announces Guidance to Communities on PCBs in Caulk of Buildings

Constructed or Renovated Between 1950 and 1978 EPA to gather latest

science on PCBs in caulk.

The agency has created a website, http://www.epa.gov/pcbsincaulk,

with

updated information on this issue. Concerned parties can also call an EPA

hotline toll free at 1-.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a series

of steps that building owners and school administrators should take to reduce

exposure to PCBs that may be found in caulk in many buildings constructed or

renovated between 1950 and 1978. The agency is also conducting new research

to better understand the risks posed by caulk containing PCBs. This research

will guide EPA in making further recommendations on long-term measures to

minimize exposure as well as steps to prioritize and carry out actions to

remove the caulk to better protect public health.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are man-made chemicals that persist in

the environment and were widely used in construction materials and electrical

products prior to 1978. PCBs can affect the immune system, reproductive

system, nervous system and endocrine system and are potentially cancer-causing

if they build up in the body over long periods of time.

"PCBs have been banned for the last 30 years for most uses," said EPA

Administrator P. . "But unfortunately high levels of PCBs are

present in many buildings and facilities constructed prior to the PCB ban,

including most recently some schools. We're concerned about the potential

risks associated with exposure to these PCBs and we?re recommending practical,

common sense steps to reduce this exposure as we improve our understanding

of the science. For building owners and administrators who want to take

added and more aggressive immediate steps, EPA is providing additional

guidance to help them identify the extent of potential risks and determine

whether mitigation steps are necessary. Local communities and governments

have constrained resources that make this a particularly challenging and

sensitive situation."

Although Congress banned the manufacture and most uses of PCBs in 1976 and

they were phased out in 1978, there is evidence that many buildings across

the country constructed or renovated from 1950 to 1978 may have PCBs at

high levels in the caulk around windows and door frames, between masonry

columns and in other masonry building materials. Exposure to these PCBs

may occur as a result of their release from the caulk into the air, dust,

surrounding surfaces and soil and through direct contact. EPA has calculated

prudent public health levels that maintain PCB exposures below the

"reference

dose", the amount of PCB exposure that EPA does not believe will cause

harm.

Those levels vary depending on the age group and use assumptions about

potential PCB exposures from other sources, such as diet.

Although this is a serious issue, the potential presence of PCBs in buildings

should not be a cause for alarm. If buildings were erected or renovated between

1950 and 1978, EPA recommends that owners implement steps to minimize exposure

to potentially contaminated caulk in the following ways:

1-Cleaning air ducts

2-Improving ventilation by opening windows and using or installing

exhaust fans where possible

3-Cleaning frequently to reduce dust and residue inside buildings

4-Using a wet or damp cloth or mop to clean surfaces

5-Not sweeping with dry brooms and minimizing the use of dusters in

areas near potential PCB-containing caulk

6-Using vacuums with high efficiency particulate air filters

7-Washing hands with soap and water often, particularly before eating

and drinking

8-Washing children's toys often

EPA also recommends testing peeling, brittle, cracking or deteriorating

caulk directly for the presence of PCBs and removing the caulk if PCBs

are present at significant levels. Alternately, the building owner can

assume the PCBs are present and proceed directly to remove deteriorating

caulk.

Building owners and facility managers should also consider testing to

determine if PCB levels in the air exceed EPA?s suggested public health

levels. If testing reveals PCBs in the air above these levels, building

owners should be especially vigilant in implementing and monitoring

ventilation and hygienic practices to minimize exposures. Owners and

managers are encouraged to retest PCB levels in air to determine whether

these practices are reducing the potential for PCB exposures. Should these

practices not reduce exposure, caulk and other known sources of PCBs should

be removed as soon as practicable.

There are several unresolved scientific issues that must be better understood

to assess the magnitude of the

problem and identify the best long-term

solutions. For example, the link between the concentrations of PCBs in caulk

and PCBs in the air or dust is not well understood. The agency is doing

research to determine the sources and levels of PCBs in buildings in the U.S.

and to evaluate different strategies to reduce exposures. The results of

this research will be used to provide further guidance to building owners

as they develop and implement long-term solutions.

Where buildings were constructed or renovated between 1950 and 1978, EPA

recommends that PCB-containing caulk be removed during planned renovations

and repairs (when replacing windows, doors, roofs, ventilation, etc.). It

is critically important to ensure that PCBs are not released to the air

during replacement or repair of caulk in affected buildings. EPA is

recommending simple, commonsense work practices to prevent the release of

PCBs during these operations. More information can be found at

http://www.epa.gov/pcbsincaulk.

EPA will work directly with owners and managers facing serious problems

to help them develop a practical approach to reduce exposures and prioritize

the removal of caulk.

Anyone seeking technical guidance should contact the EPA at 1-.

More information on PCBs in caulk: http://www.epa.gov/pcbsincaulk

More information on PCBs in the U.S.: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh

or

http://www.cdc.gov/atsdr

For more information contact:

Dale Kemery (kemery.dale@... ,

, or 4355)

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V/R,

Philip Jalbert

CIAQ Executive Secretary

CIAQ@...

www.epa.gov/iaq/ciaq

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------END Forwarded by Cutz (B.Sc., DIH, CIH) | Health+Safety Matters & Associates | Markham, Ontario, Canada