Environmental regulators are stepping up inspection and enforcement efforts related to PCBs following a series of recent health scares and studies suggesting that potentially dangerous levels of PCBs are present in some aging schools, housing and other buildings.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals recently required an insurer to defend a claim arising out of an offensive carpet odor that permeated the building and made tenants sick.

On April 22, 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule under the authority of § 402(c)(3) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address lead-based paint hazards created by renovation, repair, and painting activities.