I started this journey with a few questions. Are PCBs still affecting people in Pittsfield? Are families unknowingly being exposed? Has anyone even checked?
The deeper I dug, the more I realized how much information was missing—and more importantly, how much officials don’t want to answer.
For nearly 40 years, abandoned buildings containing PCB-contaminated equipment have sat untouched. The EPA says they’re too dangerous to inspect. Too risky to remediate. But somehow, not risky enough to be a public health crisis?
Here’s what I found, what I’ve asked, what I’ve been told—and what they refuse to admit.
🔎 What I Found
At the core of this fight is one question: Are people still being exposed?
📌 1999 testing data is still being used as proof that everything is safe. That’s 25-year-old data. No updated testing. No real-time monitoring. Nothing.
📌 PCBs in indoor air are ignored. The EPA focuses on soil and groundwater, but studies show that PCBs off-gas from old materials—which means people could be breathing them in daily.
📌 No formal inspections of abandoned structures. The EPA says the buildings are too dangerous to enter, yet they’re fine sitting in the middle of our community?
📌 Despite the science, they say there’s no need for concern. But when I looked deeper, I found human exposure studies showing PCB levels in blood and indoor air in Pittsfield.
📌 Doctors say there’s no test for PCBs in people. But other communities, military veterans, and industrial workers have been tested. So why not Pittsfield residents?
These aren’t old problems. This is still happening now.
🛑 What I Asked & What I Was Told
I didn’t expect easy answers, but I also didn’t expect so much denial and misdirection.
❓ Why hasn’t there been updated PCB testing for indoor air?
❌ EPA says it’s not needed. But studies say otherwise.
❓ Will the EPA allow independent testing?
❌ They ignored this request.
❓ Can residents get medical testing for PCB exposure?
❌ Doctors claim there’s no commercial test. But testing has been done elsewhere.
❓ Why were PCB-impacted buildings never inspected?
❌ EPA says they’re unsafe to enter. But leaving them unmonitored for 40 years is okay?
Every answer I got raised more questions. And every time I pressed for clarity, I got vague responses or complete silence.
⚖️ What The Law Says vs. What’s Happening
Under federal law, the EPA is supposed to:
🛑 Identify, assess, and remediate hazardous waste sites.
🛑 Monitor and manage exposure risks.
🛑 Protect public health first.
Instead, here’s what’s happening:
🚨 They are using outdated soil data instead of checking indoor air, where exposure actually happens.
🚨 They haven’t inspected or remediated known PCB sites in nearly four decades.
🚨 They shift responsibility onto local health agencies instead of treating this as an environmental and public health crisis.
🚨 They acknowledge the buildings are too dangerous to enter—but won’t acknowledge what that means for the community living near them.
This isn’t just mismanagement. It’s a failure of accountability.
⏭️ Where We Go From Here
We’re not waiting for the EPA to decide if this is a problem. We already know it is.
🔹 We’re pushing for independent testing.
🔹 We’re demanding a full, updated assessment of PCB exposure risks.
🔹 We’re working with experts to challenge EPA’s outdated approach.
🔹 We’re gathering more stories from residents.
This isn’t over. If anything, this fight is just beginning.
📢 Get Updates & Stay Involved
This issue needs numbers, voices, and persistence.
📬 Sign up for updates: I’ll send what I find, what’s happening next, and ways you can take action.
📢 Your experience matters. Have you lived near one of these sites? Have questions about exposure? Reach out.
This isn’t just about Pittsfield—it’s about every community that’s been left with toxic waste and no real answers. We’re going to keep pushing.
Let’s make sure they don’t get away with silence.
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