ISRP Director Dr. Keri Hornbuckle's research on PCBs in schools was highlighted in an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The article detailed the history of PCBs in schools and the recent decision against the maker of many of the PCBs, Monsanto.

It also describes the work the ISRP is currently doing in Vermont. Vermont and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hired the ISRP to try to pinpoint which school building materials were causing unsafe levels of airborne PCBs. The ISRP is analyzing hundreds of sample from various surfaces in schools to determine which surfaces might be the leading causes of PCB emissions in schools. 

The goal is to determine which repairs or steps could be taken to bring PCB emissions down below the state standard. Iowa schools are probably affected depending on when they were built and which materials were used in their construction.

(Picture courtesy of Geoff Stellfox of The Gazette)