Activists alleging link between cancer, PCB exposure in CT city schools seek litigants

A team of lawyers and activists is seeking current and former Hartford Public School students and employees to serve as litigants in a lawsuit alleging a link between cancer diagnoses and potential exposure to toxic chemicals at six elementary and middle schools in the district.At a press conference outside the shuttered John C. Clark Elementary School, representatives from Whistleblowers International, Black Lives Matter 860, Good Trouble Advocates and the Law Offices of Aaron Romano announced their intent to file a lawsuit on behalf of victims exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls, a group of toxic chemicals known as PCBs, during their time in Hartford Public Schools.Clark has sat vacant since 2015 when workers detected PCBs traces that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended exposure levels for students. The now-banned chemicals, which were used from 1929 to 1979 in everything from paint to insulation to caulking to fluorescent lights and floor finishings, have been tied to cancer, low birth weight, immune deficiencies, neurological disease and other health problems, according to the EPA.Ivelisse Correa of Black Lives Matter 860 and Good Trouble Advocates said a number of individuals who spent time in Hartford schools with suspected PCB contamination have battled cancer and even died.Correa said the list of students and employees who faced potential PCBs exposure dates back to the 1970s and includes those who attended and worked at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker, Montessori Magnet at Batchelder, R. J. Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts and Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School. Correa said those schools were built during the same period as Clark and underwent renovations in the 2010s to remediate any potential PCBs.“The number of people exposed may run into the tens of thousands,” Aaron Romano, an attorney in Bloomfield who is working the case in conjunction with Whistleblowers International, said.“We’re not talking about exposure for just one moment or one day. We’re talking about years of exposure, and that’s why this is a very, very serious case,” Romano said. “If you’ve been to any one of those schools, you’ve got to get a (cancer) screening.”Romano said the team is in the process of identifying individuals who may have been exposed, reviewing their medical history and determining whether a “link can be made to their exposure at any one of the schools” and any illnesses they have had, before filing the lawsuit.Romano said those who may have been impacted, should undergo a medical screening and register with PCBclaims.com or call 203-872-2394.In 2015, the city of Hartford and its board of education filed a lawsuit against the chemical company Monsanto for PCB cleanup costs at Clark, contesting that the company was aware of PCB toxicity in its products as early as 1937.According to reports from the Courant at the time, “Environmental testing found widespread PCB contamination in (Clark), from the school’s air handling system to the caulk, where PCB levels were up to 1,940 times the federal limit, triggering EPA intervention under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. Even new ceiling tiles were tainted, an indication that PCB vapors had infiltrated the tiles.”During this same period, a representative of the Connecticut Department of Public Health told parents that “the amount of PCBs in the air at the school (was) not high enough to cause symptoms of sickness,” and posed no threat, according to the Courant’s reports.Carol Gale, the president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers, said district employees have serious concerns about past exposures.“We’re certainly aware that (while) we can’t make a direct correlation, we know of people who have had cancers and that they have worked in the schools that (were) named,” Gale said.After the union pressed the district to test for PCBs in their buildings, Gale said Hartford Public Schools shared “a list of all the renovation dates, which showed that the buildings were clear once they were renovated.”“From the union’s perspective, the district has confirmed that our buildings right now are safe (from PCBs),” Gale said. “Between the cleanups and the renovations, (Clark) is the only one that had to be closed to my knowledge.”When asked if the team plans to bring the suit against Bayer, the owner of Monsanto, or the city and the district, Romano said “It’s too soon to name the responsible corporations” who will be identified as defendants.The Courant reached out to the mayor’s office and Hartford Public Schools for comment. Representatives of both offices said they could not comment on pending litigation.Correa and Romano said they would like to see the city support their residents and employees.“I would hope that the city of Harford would stand with those folks who are affected by the toxic chemicals that were in their schools and advocate on their behalf so they can, A, get screenings; B, be treated for any illnesses that they may have developed; and C, help obtain monetary compensation for contracting those illnesses while attending the schools,” Romano said.Correa said she hopes this action will lead to proactive screenings and justice for victims.“The overwhelming majority of people who stepped through these doors are Black and brown, and they’re the ones who have been facing barriers when asking for the screening, which really bothered me,” Correa said. “They may never have adverse health impacts. But for those that are at risk or who are going to develop something, I pray they catch it early, because way too many people have died.”Correa said heightened awareness in the community is already leading to more screenings.“I was talking to my father’s elementary school friend who wasn’t aware that he had been exposed to toxins while attending Batchelder School and he’s calling his doctor for a screening,” Correa said. “He hasn’t been to a doctor in about 10 years. So that’s progress.”Above all, Correa said that she does not “want anyone else to die.”“There were pregnant women in the school working. There were students that have passed away,” Correa said.“I went to middle school with a girl who went to Clark. She died of breast cancer about 10 years ago. One of my friends died in high school (and) went to an impacted elementary school here,” Correa said. “People died not knowing that they needed regular screenings so they caught it way too late. And it’s not just about the class action lawsuit, these people need justice. These people need compensation.”

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