Well, it's a bit breezy these days in Lederle Tower as caulking around windows
has fallen out and plans are in progress to repair this as well as and the caulking
around exterior panels. But during the assessment process, the existence of
PCBs in the old caulking in Tower A and the low-rise building were discovered.
PCBs are man-made compounds that have been banned in the US since 1977 because of concerns over toxicity and the persistence in the environment. There are very strict rules to be followed in the removal of these types of substances and the company who will be doing this abatement presented their proposal to the University on May 23, 2007.
USA was represented at this meeting by Jim Plaza and Sarah Gibson, an MTA environmental lawyer. USA-MTA has had the services of Sarah Gibson' s law firm (her husband Steve Halpern works with her too) since July, 2004 in providing training on Environmental Health & Safety issues. This meeting also included Kim Tisa, a representative of the EPA (Environmental Protections Agency). While there are no PCBs reported inside the buildings a t this time and all appropriate measures to contain the hazardous materials when it is being removed are being set in place, there was one area that was not accounted for. A major oversight in the contractor and University's plan was that they did not have any communication plan, any way of getting feedback from the people who work/visit the Lederle complex should some contamination concern present itself. This caused the EPA to refuse permission for this project to proceed. The EPA is requiring the University to have a communications plan in place BEFORE commencing the PCB abatement project. At this time, a start date has not been established and a communication plan has not been announced.
Sarah Gibson in an email to Don Robinson, Director of EH&S on June 2nd, 2007 says, "Our understanding is that the communications plan will be part of the abatement plan that will be approved by EPA before the work begins. Thanks for your plans to post it on the EH&S website. Could you please notify us when the abatement plan has been approved and when the work will start?"
This underlines USA's concern that there a communication plan be in place for individuals in Lederle to report their concerns, etc.. BEFORE any abatement begins. USA believes that the identification of H&S problems in several campus buildings (such as; Herter Hall, Campus Center / Student Activities Center, and Dubois Library) aided the push for the capital infrastructure investment (i.e. "new dirt") which is now taking place.
Please note that there are not PCBs everywhere in the Lederle complex and as stated, there is not any known existence of PCBs inside the buildings. BUT, having said that, if you have loose caulking in your windows that have found their way into your office, if you are noticing dust, if you feel you might have been exposed in any way, now or when this project begins, please take the following steps:
(and just a note, these steps apply to any situation on campus where you feel your health and safety are in jeopardy)
* remove yourself from the situation so that you are safe.
* Call EHS 545-2682 and report the situation
* Contact the Union -
USA office 545-0165 Donna Johnson 413-427-3867 Jim Plaza H&S Officer 545-6337
Included below is the EH&S link which provides the most recent information on this issue. If you have any concerns or problems around this issue, contact your steward.
