Malibu Unites, a nonprofit group comprised of Malibu parents bent on removal of all toxic materials from Malibu schools, together with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), announced Tuesday morning that they intend to sue the school district and the EPA for violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act.
According to Malibu Unites, the school district has been negligent in its testing, specifically when it comes to testing window caulk, a substance reconsidered to have the high concentrations of PCBs.
PCBs were a building material common in the mid-20th century, that are now known to be carcinogenic.
The discovery of high levels of PCBs in Malibu Middle and High Schools last October has resulted in a heated debate as to the safest way to proceed with testing and cleanup.
“Filed the day that classes resume, the notice provides 60 days for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove toxic materials from Malibu Middle and High Schools and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School or face a federal lawsuit,” reads the press release prepared by PEER on behalf of teachers and the Vititoe Law Group on behalf of Malibu Unites.