Cindy Crawford has decided to pull her children out of their school in California after learning that high levels of toxic chemicals called PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were found in the school building, according to Us Weekly.
In a pre-taped interview with special correspondent Maria Shriver on the "Today" show, the 48-year-old supermodel said her kids, Presley, 15, and Kaia, 13, whom she shares with husband Rande Gerber, missed the first day of school at Malibu High School.
Routine soil tests found "elevated levels of PCBs" in window caulking. In 1976, PCBs were banned by Congress after tests proved that they can cause cancer and affect someone's immune and reproductive system. It can also negatively impact brain development in children.
"I don't fell 100 percent safe," Crawford said. "I look 10 years down the line. What if my kid, God forbid, had a problem. How could I live with myself, if I knew that it was a possibility, and I still sent them to school there?"
"PCBs disrupt the function of hormones in our bodies, especially thyroid hormone," said Dr. Leonard Trasande, public health expert at New York University's School of Medicine. "They can contribute to worse brain development in children, and inability of children to perform well in school."
Crawford, who earned a scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern University before pursuing a modeling career, said she is frustrated and disappointed at the way the situation has been handled.
Tests were reportedly issued from two Malibu schools, including one that was attended by the model's children. Results showed that four in 10 classrooms from each school were over the federal PCB limit. The news reportedly came after the Environmental Protection Agency said that the PCBs problem had been solved.
The school district is planning to remove the caulking found in the classrooms. At a rally for environmental safety at Malibu schools, Crawford offered to fund the PCB testing using her own money but was denied. "Today" reported PCBs are found in many other schools.
"This is not a Malibu issue," she said. "This is really an issue in a lot of older schools, and I just think the laws need to be changed."
