by Ann Withanee — November 21, 2011—School systems are always grappling with something new, or so it seems. The latest is the discovery of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that are apparently contaminating educational facilities. One organization, EH&E, a major environmental services firm, has prepared a White Paper to provide guidance on the challenges and costs associated with PCBs. The document is free to schools and municipalities.
Entitled “What You Need to Know About Managing PCBs in Schools,” the White Paper details the nature of PCBs, required compliance issues, potential liabilities and current risk management strategies for dealing with PCBs in school buildings.
“The current broad-based regulatory focus on PCB-contaminated building products represents a significant liability for schools, municipalities, building owners, real estate developers, real estate investment trusts, financing institutions and contractors,” says John McCarthy, President and co-founder of EH&E, a Needham, Massachusetts-based environmental services firm.
“The scientific, engineering, and regulatory aspects of building-related PCBs are complex, and development of safe, cost-effective solutions requires a detailed understanding of their often subtle interrelationships. Attempting to address this issue with incomplete information can dramatically impact the cost of operations, renovation or demolition of a building. Costs can quickly rise to millions of dollars for a single school building. Administrators of schools and other municipal real estate must be aware of the regulatory requirements, implications for building operations, and strategies to effectively minimize their risk and remediation costs.”
This White Paper describes a strategy to effectively identify potential risks, avoid regulatory mishaps, address PCB-containing materials in a systematic manner, and maintain a healthy school environment. It also provides guidance on how to assess the need for any remediation efforts and effectively estimate their costs, so that these costs can be appropriately managed and minimized in the project budget.
“What You Need to Know About Managing PCBs in Schools,” can be downloaded at no cost from the EH&E Web site.
