The Vermont Department of Health (Health) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have reviewed the results of recent indoor air sampling for PCBs at Bellows Free Academy (St Albans).
PCBs were detected, but no applicable Vermont School Action Level was exceeded. Sampling details are outlined:
No tested room or space had PCB levels at or above the applicable Vermont School Action
Level. At least one detected level was between 75-100 ng/m3 and these space(s) require
additional indoor sampling. The lowest grade in your school is 9th grade. Therefore, 100 ng/m3
is the Vermont School Action Level for your school. The results are provided below.
Tested rooms and spaces are listed below. Rooms and spaces not listed were not tested. Not
detected means that the laboratory did not detect any PCBs. Spaces with results within 25% of
your school’s Vermont School Action Level are bolded in the table below.
The Vermont School Action Levels are:
• 30 ng/m3 (nanograms per cubic meter) for pre-kindergarten
• 60 ng/m3 for kindergarten through 6th grade
• 100 ng/m3 for 7th grade through adult
Room or Space Result (ng/m3)
E Building Basement 77
B114 Storage 37
Auto Shop 23
Room or Space Result (ng/m3)
B118 Storage 14
C109 Storage 11
C109 Elevator Room 10
B115 9
C111 7
IDF115 6
B110 Suite 6
B123 Main Office 6
B103 6
A126 6
B210 5
W117A 5
B120A 5
E405-Real Life Storage 5
B109 5
A111 5
E204A 5
W100-300 Stair 5
A220 5
B201A 5
A122 Mech. 5
A301 5
B111 5
E400-Hall 5
E500 5
A325 4
B122 Woodshop 4
E500a 4
E204 4
B117 4
A208 4
C Hall 2nd Floor 4
E406 4
A114 File Room 3
W205 3
3rd Floor Hall (A Build) 3
A219 3
A108 3
A121 3
A317 3
B112B 3
Snack Bar Lobby 3
Room or Space Result (ng/m3)
A104 3
Gym (B201) 3
B204 Storage 2
E502/E502A 2
3rd Floor girls BR 2
A211 2
A308 2
1st Floor Boys Bathroom (A
Building) Not detected
1st Floor Main Room Not detected
A Main Entrance Not detected
A100 Hall Not detected
A112A Not detected
A116 Not detected
A116A Not detected
A120/121A Not detected
A122 Not detected
A127 Suite Not detected
A201 Not detected
A206/205 Not detected
A213 Not detected
A215 Not detected
A218 Not detected
A314 Not detected
A320 Not detected
Ambient (Outside C Building) Not detected
B Lobby Not detected
B101 Mail Room Not detected
B102C Not detected
B113 Not detected
B200 Hallway Not detected
B205 Locker Room Not detected
B205 Weight Room Not detected
B206 Not detected
B207 Not detected
C103 Womens Rm Not detected
C107A Not detected
C203 Not detected
C204 Classroom Not detected
C205 Suite Not detected
C208 Not detected
E202 Not detected
Room or Space Result (ng/m3)
E203A Storage Not detected
E301 Conference Not detected
E301 Principal Not detected
E302/303-Café Not detected
E302D Kitchen Office Not detected
E302E-dishroom suite Not detected
E304 Boys BR Not detected
E304B-1 Not detected
E304B-Assistant Principal Not detected
E403a Not detected
E501 Dark Room Not detected
FB-01 Not detected
Girls Ref Room Not detected
Kitchen BR Not detected
Library Not detected
Main 1st Floor Not detected
Mezzanine (above library) Not detected
Upstairs C Boys Not detected
W100 Hallway Not detected
W104 Not detected
W106 Not detected
W109 Not detected
W110 Not detected
W112 mens Not detected
W114(elevator control room) Not detected
W116B Not detected
W117 Boiler Room Not detected
W200 Hallway Not detected
W202 Not detected
W207 Not detected
W208 Not detected
W210 Not detected
W301 Not detected
W302 Not detected
W304-Nurse Not detected
W305 Not detected
W308 Not detected
W310B Not detected
W310c Not detected
Weight Room Storage 1 Not detected
What about the rooms that were not tested?
Before testing, the consultant evaluated the school building for potential PCB sources and
assigned rooms to groups based on the presence of similar building materials, construction
and/or renovation dates. About one third of rooms in each group were tested. Rooms that
were not tested are assumed to have similar PCB levels as the tested rooms in that same group.
What happens next?
Additional action will be required by DEC in the bolded rooms in the table above. Additional
indoor air sampling is required to monitor fluctuations of PCB indoor air levels for spaces within
25% of your school's action level to ensure they do not exceed the School Action Level.
No occupancy changes are required at this time. However, if the use of a classroom changes,
then these results need to be evaluated for the new use. For example, if the space is currently
used for grades 7-12 and it needs to be used for a lower grade level, then the results need to be
evaluated for the school action level for that age group.