Calling for More Comprehensive Testing for PCBs at PS 199

While progress had been made in remediating PCB contamination at P.S. 199 (270 West 70th Street), and tests conducted earlier this year found that the concentration of PCBs in the school had fallen below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended maximum levels for elementary schools, the most recent tests found significantly elevated contamination levels in eleven of the school’s spaces.  I along with other elected officials and the school’s PTA and administration have met privately and publicly with the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about this alarming development.  At this point, the agencies are struggling to identify the source of the contamination.  On October 3, I joined U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and New York State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal in sending a letter to the SCA and the New York City Department of Education calling for testing of the exterior of the building, which the SCA has to date refused to do, and for data on past contamination levels.