America Unites » Across the Nation

Congressman Lieu Grateful to AU

MalibuUnites.com — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 06:27:21 +0000

Washington – Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement regarding Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey’s release of a report on the existence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in schools.

“The stunning report from Senator Edward Markey on PCBs in schools shows that the EPA and school districts must do far more to address this toxic substance. The EPA and school districts can no longer pretend that if they don’t test for PCBs, somehow this poisonous issue will just go away. Monsanto, which ...

Senator Ed Markey’s PCB in Schools Report

MalibuUnites.com — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 02:49:30 +0000

Senator Markey released a report which exposes the widespread issue of PCBs in schools, the failures of the EPA to protect children and teachers, and the need for Congress to take action to ensure America’s public schools are tested for PCBs. America Unites has spent the last 3 years advocating for proper testing and removal of toxic PCBs from Malibu schools and just last month won a precedent setting case in Federal Court against the Santa Monica School Board. America Unites Board Members along with AU spokesperson Cindy Crawford met ...

Poison lurking in schools

MalibuUnites.com — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 00:13:38 +0000

Listen to Story here: https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/poison-lurking-in-schools/

Across the country, tens of thousands of public schools could be contaminated with toxic polychlorinated biphenyls – compounds more commonly known as PCBs, which were used widely in building materials such as window caulk. PCBs have been linked to everything from skin conditions to cancer. On this hour of Reveal, we take a closer look at this sleeper chemical that was banned in 1979 but still poses a serious health risk to kids today.

No one knows how many schools have this ...

UCLA STUDY FINDS HIGHER DISEASE RATES IN PCB CONTAMINATED MALIBU SCHOOLS

MalibuUnites.com — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:52:30 +0000

LOS ANGELES — A study conducted by Honor Collegium students at UCLA under the supervision of Alison Lipman, Ph.D. found a “higher than average persistence of PCB-related diseases in individuals working at” PCB contaminated public schools in Malibu. The study may be seen at http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ucla-study-finds-higher-disease-rates-in-32690/ –The study found a significantly higher prevalence of thyroid and Hashimoto’s disease at the Malibu schools compared to rates in the United States.–The study also found significantly higher rates of thyroid disease, Hashimoto’s disease, and fertility issues compared with a control population at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village.“I ...

A Fight Over PCBs in Malibu

MalibuUnites.com — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 08:26:46 +0000

Parents of students in Malibu are suing the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, saying that schools like Malibu High are too dangerous for their kids. The parents are protesting the presence of PCBs, a substance that was widely used in construction materials before 1980. PCBs are banned today, but two older Malibu schools have elevated levels of PCBs in their buildings’ window caulking. The school district and the Environmental Protection Agency have said that the schools are safe, but parents and some experts disagree. We ...

Health Scare at Malibu School Sets Off Media War

MalibuUnites.com — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 08:22:28 +0000

By IAN LOVETT

APRIL 4, 2016

MALIBU, Calif. — The high school here is ranked among the best in the country, with students each year moving on to Ivy League colleges. The location, on a hill down the block from the beach where “Baywatch” was filmed, offers a multimillion-dollar view of the Pacific Ocean.

Yet parents here have been yanking their children out of Malibu High School, concerned about PCBs, the highly toxic chemical compounds, that have been found in ...

Recently Released EPA Document shows SMMUSD is Defying PCB Policy and Federal Law

MalibuUnites.com — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 07:48:57 +0000

According to EPA’s most recent document on PCB policy, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) is not following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidance or law regarding PCBs at Malibu High School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School, contrary to its August 17th, 2015 press release, where SMMUSD claims it is in compliance with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and following EPA guidance by only testing the air and dust but refusing to test any more caulk. However, an EPA document released on Aug ...

Court Lays a Smackdown on the EPA for its Pesticide Inaction

MalibuUnites.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 07:56:26 +0000

Congrats to EarthJustice, NRDC and Pesticide Action Network:

(Now the EPA Needs a PCB Smackdown!)

When a court opinion starts off with a sentence like this, you know it is going to be a good read:

“Although filibustering may be a venerable tradition in the United States Senate, it is frowned upon in administrative agencies tasked with protecting human health.”

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a “writ of mandamus,” a command to a court, agency or person to perform its public or statutory duty. The writ ordered the Environmental Protection ...

EPA reveals details of PCB test results at Walmart Warehouse

MalibuUnites.com — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 06:32:45 +0000

13 Investigates first broke the story about toxic chemicals at a Walmart returns center in August.

Hundreds of workers were forced to evacuate the facility after initial tests showed the warehouse on North Franklin Road was contaminated with PCBs, chemicals that are linked to cancer.

The company that operates the center, Exel Logistics, offered all employees health testing, and we’re still waiting for those results. The other big question: what was found in the plant? Federal investigators have released reports that include details and information about where the ...

Officials agree to test soil at Malibu schools

MalibuUnites.com — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 08:19:14 +0000

Sam Pearson, E&E reporter

Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Months of back-and-forth over suspected soil pollution at some of California’s choicest public schools may be coming to an end.

The state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control has proposed conducting comprehensive soil testing at three adjacent Malibu schools where teachers, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and other groups have been sounding the alarm since last year that troublesome chemical problems were present at the sites that overlook the Pacific Ocean.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Sandra Lyon, who the ...