PCB Threat From Caulking

Caulking installed during the 1960s and ’70s threatens public health, according to a study published in the July 2004 issue of

Environmental Health Perspectives. The warning was spurred by the discovery of high polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in Boston-area buildings. The U.S. government banned the production of these chemicals in 1977 because of health and environmental concerns: PCBs are known persistent bioaccumulative toxins and probable human carcinogens. They are also likely endocrine disrupters, or developmental toxins, causing additional concern over PCB contamination in school buildings where children risk exposure.