A research study published last week in the Environmental Science and Technology Journal finds there are polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in Columbus Community schools.

The University of Iowa states these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and are typically found in older buildings. Researchers collected indoor and outdoor samples of air at the Roundy Elementary and secondary school buildings in the Columbus Community District from 2012-2015. The study found that the Columbus schools and other schools they studied didn’t have high enough PCB levels to meet federal standards for immediate remediation.

Columbus Superintendent Gary Benda comments on PCBs, “Our level is well within EPA standards, and when I say well within we are below what EPA says, ‘Oh, this is a danger, this is a concern.’ I mean we’re well below that. So from the standpoint of, are we jumping up and down saying we’ve got to get this fixed tomorrow? We are not.”

Benda says University of Iowa Professor Keri Hornbuckle has offered to educate the district on PCBs. Benda encourages community members to educate themselves on PCBs and their effects. Benda says he doesn’t want to downplay the findings in the study, but he doesn’t know if the district currently has a large reason to be concerned.

The University of Iowa states that PCB chemicals can be removed from buildings by removing old caulk around windows and modernizing light fixtures.