Former chair urges Senate to preserve PCB testing in schools after Burlington discovery

Former Senate Education Committee Chair Brian Campion urged senators to retain PCB testing in some form after recounting the Burlington High School experience, when testing found elevated PCB levels and the state invested $16 million to rebuild the school.

"When Burlington High School was tested, the school shut down," Campion said, adding that the state committed about $16 million to the rebuilding effort. He argued that testing all schools constructed before 1980 is prudent because construction or renovation work could expose students and workers to harmful chemicals.

Campion told the committee he relied on testimony from medical professionals and the former health commissioner when the program began and that those experts recommended continued testing: "When professionals like Dr. Lavine came before us ... we decided to test all schools," he said. He framed testing as a public-health precaution for children, pregnant teachers and staff.

In response to senators' questions, Campion recommended that PCB testing be integrated into school construction planning: if construction is planned, he said testing beforehand would identify buildings that could be more expensive or risky to renovate and help prioritize sites for demolition, reconstruction, or remediation. He also raised concerns about PFAS ("forever chemicals") in turf fields and encouraged districts to consider turf products that do not contain PFAS.

Campion said federal chemical regulation has been slow historically and pointed to local contamination cases he worked on as evidence that state-level precautions are needed. Committee members thanked him for his perspective and agreed PCB testing should be considered in planning, but they did not take formal action at the hearing.