- File: Sean Metcalf
Filters were placed in the affected rooms, and contractors hired by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation retested the air for PCBs in mid-April.
The results, which came back last week, were disheartening. Instead of finding lower PCB levels, the second round of testing revealed significantly higher levels in every room retested. In the gym, for example, the first round of testing showed a concentration of 570 nanograms per cubic meter of airborne PCBs; the second round measured 1,050 nanograms per cubic meter. In the library, PCB concentrations jumped from 400 to 710 nanograms, and in the nurse's office, they went from 90 to 156 nanograms.
Twin Valley principal Rebecca Fillion said state officials believe there could be a PCB source in the school's HVAC system, which was running at full capacity during the retesting.
In a letter to the school community on April 28, Fillion wrote that the results were "unexpected" and the news was "difficult ... to receive during these last important weeks of school."
Related PCBs Contamination Closes Library, Gym at Twin Valley Elementary
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The Vermont legislature required the statewide testing in 2021. So far, more than one-third of several dozen schools tested have had PCB levels that require further action. That action — which entails rooting out the source of PCBs and removing it or sealing it off — has proven to be labor-intensive, costly, and imprecise. Twin Valley has already shelled out more than $18,000 for the air filters, according to Fillion.
The unknowns about the testing program — including costs and how disruptive it may be to learning — prompted some lawmakers to introduce a bill to pause the initiative. Doing so would allow the state to better align the testing with Vermont's broader school construction priorities, the lawmakers say. The House passed the measure in March, and it's now before the Senate.
But key leaders in that chamber — including Senate Education Committee chair Brian Campion (D-Bennington) and Sen. Philip Baruth (D/P-Chittenden-Central) — are opposed to a testing pause because of the potential health risks the chemicals pose for students and staff.
Related Chemical Crossroads: Lawmakers Consider Pausing Vermont's Ambitious, Costly and One-of-a-Kind Plan to Address PCBs in Schools
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"Testing provides the data for action; it is a vital step we shouldn't delay," Chen wrote in his testimony. "The adage that what we don't know won't hurt us simply does not apply when it comes to toxins in our environment."
Chen's opinion is in line with the current health commissioner, Dr. Mark Levine, who testified before the Senate several weeks ago.
Matt Chapman, director of the DEC's Waste Management and Prevention Division, told senators last week that the testing program "has been developed thoughtfully and in consultation with national experts and Vermont school officials."
He said the state "has made significant efforts to be adaptive and flexible to school concerns while protecting health."
Related Legislators Consider Pausing School PCB Testing Program
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"Since the health risk of PCBs is based on time and amount of exposure, this limited use protects health of those in the building for this time period," Fillion wrote to families.
The school has also turned off the HVAC systems serving the gym, library and front offices and is keeping the windows open when possible.
On Monday evening, Twin Valley administrators were slated to hold a community forum with state officials — the second such meeting in a month — to discuss the latest results and answer questions.
In an email to Seven Days on Monday, Fillion described the experience of responding to PCB testing results as "very time-consuming."
Correction, May 2, 2023: A previous version of this story misreported what year Monsanto stopped making PCB chemicals.
Correction, May 2, 2023: A previous version of this story misreported what year Monsanto stopped making PCB chemicals.
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