Letter from RY Management regarding testing, 250 South End Avenue

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS OF NY, INC. 67 Woodside Avenue, Briarcl iff Manor, NY 10510 • Tel 914 762 6333 • Fax 914 762 5578

October 5, 2001

Mr. Bob Vaccarello Tel: (212) 534-7771 R Y Management Fax: (212) 534-6140 1619 3rc1 Avenue NYC, NY 10128

Re: Environmental Sampling at Hudson View East Condominiums — 250 South End Avenue

Dear Mr. Vaccarello:

Following the WTC terrorist attack, EMS of NY was retained by your firm to conduct air testing within the hallways and select apartments, wipe/debris sampling within apartments that contained visible debris and water sampling for E. Coll, an indicator of water quality.

The information below details the actions undertaken, along with providing an explanation of the processes and applicable standards for the testing performed.

Airborne Asbestos Testing: The airborne fiber testing was performed within the common hallways and select apartment units within the buildings. The purpose of performing the testing was to determine whether elevated concentrations of asbestos, above current regulatory standards are present within the areas tested.

Current acceptable levels set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency is an airborne concentration of 70 structures per square millimeter of air (s/mm). The standard of 70 s/m►n2 is used to determine whether airborne levels following an abatement project are acceptable for human occupancy. If the concentration exceeds 70 s/mm2, the affected area is compared to background levels prior to detennine acceptability. Levels below 70 s/mm2 are deemed acceptable for reoccupancy according to NYC DEP.

Asbestos Debris/Dust Testing: The testing in this situation was performed within select hallways whereby accumulated dustldebris was identified. The purpose of testing the debris material was to determine whether asbestos was present and if so, could this material become airborne, especially if cleaning activities commence using non-specialized equipment.

In evaluating the results, asbestos was reported as absent or present. The absence of asbestos suggests that no asbestos fibers were identified and that if the air data in and around the building was also less than 70 s/mm2, then the likelihood of the results remaining below maximum acceptable levels.

hazard identification • risk management impact assessment

NYC-WTC 000121059