According to documents from Malibu Unites and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), Malibu school officials have now pledged to remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in Malibu schools at illegally high concentrations within a year.
The removal is limited, however, and will only take place if verified test results show illegal levels of PCBs. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School district has no plans to further test materials.
Over the past year, Malibu Middle and High Schools as well as Juan Cabrillo Elementary School have had tests completed that show high concentrations of PCBs in window and door caulk, ventilator dust, and soil. The district had adopted a plan that allowed PCBs to remain above legal limits for 15 years or more as long as the areas were not renovated or demolished in the interim. The district released a supplement to that plan, stating that it has agreed to remove the caulking around four windows and one doorframe by June 30, 2015.Â