NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
Asbestos Air Monitoring
1. At a minimum, five (5) TEM samples shall be collected per day during cleanup activities.
2. Samples shall be collected at isolation barriers outside the work area, the clean room of the
worker/waste decontamination facility, and outside of the building.
3. Sample collection during clean up activities shall be in accordance with Title 15, Chapter 1 of the
Rules of the City of New York (RCNY) and AHERA regarding documentation, sample locations,
rate of flow, and required volumes to achieve the necessary analytical sensitivity.
4. Sampling equipment shall be placed at representative locations and away from obstruction.
Sampling cassette must be placed on a tripod and not taped to existing surfaces. All air sampling
equipment shall be pre- and post- calibrated to insure accurate air sampling volumes.
5. The Air Sampling Technician shall perform clearance air sampling after the areas are free of dust
accumulations as determined by the Project Monitor. All surfaces must be completely dry prior to
the start of sampling. Clearance air sampling shall be performed at each apartment. Five samples
shall be collected in each apartment and two samples shall be collected in each common space. The
elevator shaft and first floor commercial spaces shall be cleared separately. Clearance air
monitoring shall be performed after the completion of all clean up activities at the work site.
Clearance air sampling shall be aggressive and performed in accordance with Title 15, Chapter 1 of
the RCNY Section 1-43 (a)-(d).
6. Clearance air samples shall be collected in accordance with the procedures specified in the NIOSH
7400 Method. The flow rate for collection of air samples shall be at least 10 liters per minute and no
more than 15 liters per minute. Air sampling cassettes must be monitored to ensure the filters do not
develop dark spots that would indicate clogging. The minimum sampling volume is 3600 liters. If
clogging develops, the cassette must be changed.
7. All clearance air samples and completed chain of custody forms must be transported to the
laboratory immediately after sampling is completed.
Clearance Criteria
1. The following clearance levels have been established by the USEPA for clean up activities resulting
from the collapse of the WTC.
Parameter Clearance Level Note
Asbestos in air 0.0009 f/cc PCMe Primary clearance level
Lead in settled dust <25 ft2 Primary clearance level
Dioxin in settled dust <4ng/m2 Primary clearance level
Fibrous glass in air <0.01 f/cc Secondary clearance level
Crystalline silica in air 0.5 m3 Secondary clearance level
PAHs in settled dust <0.3 mg/m2 Secondary clearance level
Mercury between 1 and 2 mg/m2 Secondary clearance level
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NYC-WTC 000107200
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