EPA memorandum regarding asbestos reservoir, June 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document < ’I

used it in past, but refused to use it for the rest of NYC. Memorandum addressed to Aflected Parties and Responsible Officials from Cate Jenkins, Hazardous Waste Identification Division, OSW, EPA. Posted at www.NYenviroLAW.org.

The New York Environmental Law and Justice Project, as well as the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the US EPA Region 2 tested dust from the roof and in an open elevator shaft of an apartment at 150 Franklin St. in April, 2002. Testing by PLM showed no asbestos. But when the exact same samples were retested using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the dust had asbestos over 1%, and in one case at a level of 5%. Franklin St. is about 2 blocks north of the Hudson St. apartment building. 14. Pending release of the information from the client, at this time, I cannot cite the source of this information. 15. Kominsky, J. R., et al. (1993) Evaluation of Three Cleaning Methods for Removing Asbestos from Carpet: Determination of Airborne Asbestos Concentrations Associated with Each Method, US EPA Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, Cincirmati, OH 45268, EPA Publication No. EPA/600/SR-93/155, Posted at www.epa.gov/ncepihom/nepishom/ This study was for real-world asbestos contaminated carpet: A study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of three cleaning methods for removal of asbestos from contaminated carpet and to determine the airborne asbestos concentrations associated with each. Baseline measurements before cleaning showed an average concentration of 1.6 billion asbestos structures per square foot (s/ft^) of carpet. The effectiveness of dry vacuuming using cleaners with and without a high-efficiency particulate air filter was compared with that of wet cleaning with a hot-water extraction cleaner. The wet cleaning method reduced the level of asbestos contamination in the carpet by approximately 60%, whereas neither dry cleaning method had any notable effect on the asbestos level. The type of cleaner used had little effect on the difference between the airborne asbestos concentration before and during cleaning.

Kominsky, J. R., et al. (1991) Evaluation of Two Cleaning Methods for Removal of Asbestos Fibers from Carpet, US EPA Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, EPA Publication No. EPA/600/S2-90/053, posted at www.epa.gov/ncepihom/nepishom/ This study was for artificially asbestos contaminated carpet The effectiveness of dry-vacuuming and wet-cleaning for the removal of asbestos fibers from carpet was examined, and the potential for fiber reentrainment during carpet cleaning activities was evaluated. Routine carpet cleaning operations were simulated by using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered dry vacuum cleaners and HEPA- filtered hot-water extraction cleaners on carpet artificially contaminated with asbestos fibers. Overall, wet-cleaning with a hot water extraction cleaner reduced the level of asbestos contamination in the carpet by approximately 70%. There was no significant change in carpet asbestos concentration after dry-vacuuming. The level of asbestos contamination had no significant effect on the difference between the asbestos

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