Draft memo forwarding thread, April 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

concern; and 4) provide information to the public on the potential health implications (or lack of implications) of the sample results.

During October 2001, information from residents supported the need to further assess potential indoor and outdoor environmental health issues. Burning throats have been reported to be a common problem in the recently re-occupied residential areas. Residents in south Battery Park City, whose windows were open at the time of the WTC collapse, have settled dust in their homes. Some have disposed of furniture, stereo equipment, etc., because they were covered with “ash and dust.” Homes in part of the Tribeca zone (Chambers Street to Murray Street, west of Broadway) are not yet occupied, but were reported to have roofs covered with hand-sized chunks of insulation-like material that contain small pieces of mica-like material. In addition, the mica­ like material has clogged roof drains and resulted in standing pools of water on residential roof tops.

II. Sampling Objective

The overall objective of this sampling is to provide results upon which public health agencies can further determine the potential for environmental exposures to WTC collapse-related materials and possible health implications of the exposures. Sampling will characterize ambient and indoor airborne and potentially airborne particles (surface dust) in residential areas of lower Manhattan from the collapse of WTC. Specifically, the objective is:

Characterize the make-up and size distribution of settled dust and airborne breathing zone dust in residential areas-both indoors and outside-near the WTC. This information will be used to further determine if materials are present in air at levels of public health concern; and if materials are present in settled surface dust that can be re-entrained and result in continued exposures.

Sample locations will be selected in a concentric circle pattern, starting close to the WTC. Section V, Residence Selection/Sampling rationale, of this protocol describes this approach.

Note: The sampling objective/approach is focused on contaminants that emanated from the collapse of the WTC towers and that might cause health problems. However, this investigation will not be able to conclude if contaminants/materials are actually from the disaster. The contaminants that have been selected for testing might be present in some areas from other sources. Examples include: cooking on a stove top can increase indoor airborne particulate matter; vehicle exhaust can increase outdoor airborne particulate matter; recent home renovation can result in an increase in levels of gypsum, fiberglass, etc. in the air and surface dust.

III. Data and Quality Assurance

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