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Abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were present in construction materials used in schools from the 1950s to the 1970s. The discovery of PCBs in a school produces various difficulties including costly remediation and disruption of operations. This thesis evaluated data from building materials and media collected in a school to determine the nature and extent of PCB contamination and to dete... read morermine the effectiveness of remediation in reducing surface and indoor air concentrations. Spatial variability and the effect of indoor air temperature on air concentrations were also evaluated. Results indicated that various building materials contained PCBs and that the compounds had migrated into nearby media. Post-remediation samples showed a reduction in indoor air concentrations and a significant (p=0.001) reduction in median surface concentrations. Significant spatial differences in indoor air concentrations were shown between two areas of the school (p= 0.05). Indoor air PCB levels were not found to be correlated with indoor temperature.
Thesis (M.S.)--Tufts University, 2013.
Submitted to the Dept. of Civil Engineering.
Advisor: Anne Marie Desmarais.
Committee: David Gute, and Mark Woodin.
Keywords: Environmental science, Environmental engineering, and Environmental health.read less
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