Malibu PCB: 'No Safe Levels,' Expert Says

An expert studying the effects of PCB, a chemical banned in the US since 1979, told a group of parents, teacher and community members Tuesday that there are no safe levels of the toxic substance.

Dr. David Carpenter told some 90 people in attendance at the town forum at Pepperdine University that PCB has been linked to cancer and has no place in schools.

"There are no safe levels of PCB," he said. "No excuse for PCB in our schools."

He is talking about the discovery of PBC, or polychlorinated biphenyl, at two Malibu schools. The substance, which is oil soluble, not flammable and a good insulator, was a popular building material up until the government banned its use in 1979.

The window calk at Malibu High School was discovered to contain toxic level of PCBs 2.5 years ago, but the Santa Monica-Malibu School district hasn't done anything about it, Jennifer deNicola, whose child attends Malibu High School, said. Federal law require the immediate removal of PCB when it's found, but school officials are refusing to do their jobs, she said.

The district maintains that the level of PCBs in the schools are safe.

"The school district is not being straight with us," said deNicola, who founded the group America Unites For Kids that's suing the district for the removal of PCB. "What's happening in Flint, Mich. is happening in Malibu."

Lisa Lambert was one of the first teachers in Malibu to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer said there are now 30 teachers with cancer.

"The district needs to remove the PCB and they must do it now," she said.

A school In Yorktown Heights, NY was found to contain PCB in 2005 and the court in that state ordered the school to immediate remove the toxic substance.

Dr. Carpenter said PCB mimics the thyroid hormone, disrupts thyroid function and makes the thyroid work harder.

"Public health is there to protect the public," he said. "We don't need to count the bodies before taking action."

Toward the end of the two-hour long forum, Cami Winikoff a board member of America Unites for Kids, one of the groups suing the SMMUSD for the removal of PCBs, asked two of the school board members in attendance to explain the district's actions in fighting the lawsuit and not removing the PCB.

To date, the district has spent $8 million to avoid testing and removing PCBs from schools, according to the group. The cost of removal was estimated at $750,000 and $1.5 million, the group said.

Craig Foster, one of the board members present, said he and Oscar de la Torre, the other board member at the meeting, are just two votes.

"You need four votes to pass any motions," he said. "The other members believe they are following the law."

The district says it is following best management practices, which includes cleaning and wiping down affected areas. Dr Peterson said these do nothing to mitigate the effects of PCBs.

Just like climate science, there are detractors, he said, but the majority of scientists believe there is a link between PCB and cancer.

Ingrid Peterson, a special education instructional aid at SMMUSD, believes there's another explanation -- "CYA", cover your a--.

She points to a incident in 2010 when PCBs were discovered in the soil at Malibu High/Middle School. Parents and teachers were told the soil would be removed when classes weren't in session and there were no kids around. However, two tons of the soil were removed without notifying parents or teachers and during summer school when there were six classes in session, she said.