Burke Town School PCB Test Results
June 7, 2024
Dear Parents, Caregivers, and our Staff:
We are writing to provide you with an update on the recent testing for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in our school.
PCBs are a group of human-made chemicals commonly used in building materials and electrical equipment before 1980. PCBs can be released into indoor air from building materials that contain PCBs. PCBs can cause serious health problems. The potential for health effects from PCBs, as with other chemicals, depends on how much, how often, and how long someone is exposed to them.
Indoor air testing for PCBs took place at Burke Town School on February 26th, 2023. An environmental consultant collected samples of indoor air that were processed by a laboratory, and then reviewed by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and the Vermont Department of Health.
No detectable levels of PCBs were found in the indoor air of your school. The results are provided below.
What was found?
No detectable levels of PCBs were found in the tested rooms or spaces. Tested rooms and spaces are listed on the next page. Rooms and spaces not listed were not tested.
What about the rooms that were not tested?
Before testing, the consultant evaluated the school building for potential PCB sources and assigned rooms to groups based on the presence of similar building materials, construction and/or renovation dates. About one third of rooms in each group were tested. Rooms that were not tested are assumed to have similar PCB levels as the tested rooms in that same group.
What happens next?
No further action is required.
Questions?
- Find more information about PCBs, including the complete test results, at dec.vermont.gov/pcb-schools.
- For testing and test results questions, email SOV.PCBSampling@vermont.gov.
- For health-related questions, call 1-800-439-8550.
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