We're Hip to the Dangers of Lead and Asbestos in Old Buildings, But We're Only Just Getting Wise to the Risks Posed by PCBs

You probably know that many paints and window caulks manufactured prior to 1978 contain lead. And you may also know that old vinyl plastic floor tiles may contain asbestos. But you might not be aware that these old building materials and many more are also likely to contain highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs.

These PCBs outgas into the air or become part of the dust in old homes and buildings as the paints, caulks and plastic materials degrade with age. And it is likely they will be costing you a good chunk of your tax dollars soon, because they are in many older school buildings all over the country. Experts are already studying the PCB problem in my hometown of New York's schools.

On November 30, 2010, I attended a public meeting in New York City where experts discussed proposed responses to a pilot study of three local schools that showed high levels of PCBs in classroom air and dust. In these particular schools, the primary sources of the PCBs appeared to be leaking fluorescent light ballasts and old deteriorating caulking compounds. The consensus of the panel seemed to be that the city should replace the old lights and caulk in all city schools and the problem would be over.

This is a shortsighted conclusion, considering that PCBs are actually in many, many building materials and products manufactured before 1978. Since PCBs are extremely stable compounds with respect to heat, light and chemical attack, they are perfect for high-temperature applications, plasticizers and fire retardants. Starting in the 1950s, these miracle chemicals were added to just about everything. One list compiled by the EPA in 1999 says that PCBs were used in:

…some wool felt insulating materials, plastics, paint formulations, small rubber parts, adhesive tape, insulating materials used in electrical cabling, fluorescent light ballast potting materials, gaskets in heating, ventilation and air conditioning and other duct systems, caulking, coatings for ceiling tiles, flooring and floor wax/sealants, roofing and siding materials, adhesives, waterproofing compounds, anti-fouling compounds, fire retardant coatings, coal-tar enamel coatings for steel water pipe and underground storage tanks …and any number of other chemicals uses such as additives and plasticizers.*

In my new book, Pick Your Poison, I use the PCBs to illustrate a really cynical use by manufacturers of a principle called "chemical substitution." This is a process of making subtle changes in the molecules of toxic chemicals to render them "new" chemicals which are then considered unregulated. Here's how it works.

The PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls are based on a double benzene ring chemical called biphenyl that has 10 different locations on which a chlorine atom could be placed. When more than two sites are occupied with chlorine atoms, it is common to refer to them as polychlorinated biphenyls. Because there are so many locations and combinations of locations at which chlorine can be located, the PCBs are actually a large class of chemicals.

These "miracle" chemicals made all of the products they were added to last longer, look and function better, and resist fire. By the late 1960s, though, it was clear that they lasted just as long in the environment and the PCBs were considered "probable human carcinogens" by the EPA. There is also evidence that they cause adverse effects on the immune, reproductive, nervous, and endocrine systems. People exposed to large amounts of PCBs also showed telltale signs such as hair loss and a peculiar disfiguring type of acne called chloracne.

Industry fought regulation of these chemicals claiming that products made without PCBs would be inferior in quality, fire resistance, durability, and more. However, the hazards of PCBs became more and more firmly established and they were banned in 1977. Clearly, the paints and other products made after 1977 did not suddenly all fail after this date. In fact, the quality of many of these products improved.