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3 More NYC Schools Found With Elevated PCBs

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The federal Environmental Protection Agency has found elevated levels of toxic chemicals known as PCBs leaking from lighting fixtures at three New York City schools housed in the same building.

The agency took 14 samples from light fixtures at P.S. 206, P.S. 37 and P.S. 112 and found that 12 were above the regulatory limit. The three schools are located at 508 E. 120th St.

Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg says corrective action was being taken to replace the lighting ballasts, the devices that regulate electric current for fluorescent lights.

Four other schools have previously been found to have elevated levels of PCBs, which were widely used in building materials until they were banned in the 1970s. They have been linked to cancer and other health problems.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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