The possible existence of a toxic chemical called Polychlorinated Biphenyl — commonly known as PCBs — in the basement of E.S. Bird Library caused renovations to be postponed indefinitely.

University Senate’s Library Committee, which met for the first time this semester on Wednesday evening, briefly mentioned the existence of PCBs in the basement of Bird.

Design planners and architects finished plans to renovate the basement and install classrooms during the summer. But Syracuse University had to halt the construction until ‘environmental materials’ were removed from the basement, Eric Beattie, director of the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction told The Daily Orange in an article published Aug. 31.

Those materials are PCBs, which have been demonstrated to cause cancer, as well as a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system and nervous system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency website.

‘They are not free floating PCBs, there’s nothing dangerous in the library,’ said Charlotte Hess, associate dean for research, collections and scholarly communication. ‘It’s if you drill into them, the materials have PCBs.’

The construction of the basement is not within Hess’ auspices, and she said what knowledge she has is from sitting in meetings. One thing she said she could say was the library had just received word of a solution in the works, and there is hope construction can eventually move ahead safely.

‘We just got word they think they have a solution to PCBs,’ she said.

David Murray, former assistant dean for advancement of the library, said in the ‘60s and ‘70s adhesive glue in carpeting and ceiling tiles was made with PCBs. Bird was built during that era, before the industrial use of the chemical was outlawed.

‘Nowadays when a building is renovated from that time, there’s a concern about the old adhesive,’ he said.

Construction to Bird’s basement was made possible by a donation specifically meant to redo the bottom floor. The donation is part of an ongoing campaign to update the library and address major space issues.

Murray said PCBs have caused the delay of other construction projects around campus because building materials could possibly contain PCBs. He did not elaborate as to which construction projects those were.

He also said, from his understanding, PCBs might not have actually been found, but rather the potential for finding and releasing them into the air has postponed renovations.

rastrum@syr.edu 

Published on September 15, 2010 at 12:00 pm