NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
Resuspension K-Factors for settled asbestos dusts determined from controlled asbestos studies.
ACTIVITY SETTLED DUST LEVEL AIR LEVEL K-FACTORS
structures/square structures/millillter [multiply the settled dust
centimeter (s/cm’) (s/mL) level by this number to
get the air level]
Carpet cleaning [ordinary 23,000 0.09 3.9 X 10r®
vacuum] ( 0.0000039 )
Broom Sweeping 760,000 53.6 7.1 X Iff®
(0.000071 )
Cleaning Storage Area 870,000 2.7 3.1 X Iff®
(0.0000031 )
Gym-Athletic Activities 9,700 0.23 2.4 X 10’®
(0.000024)
Cable Pull [pulling cable 2,000,000 28.9 1.4 X Iff®
through suspended celling ( 0.000014)
space]
Warehouse (with forklift) 8,200 29.7 3.6 X 10’
( 0.0036 )
34. ATSDR (2000) Section 5.4 - Levels Monitored or Estimated in the Environment.
Toxicological Profile for Asbestos, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers
for Disease Control, ATSDR. Available by calling 1-888-42-ATSDR. Currently, only the final
draft version is posted at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp61.html 1
35.The AHERA TEM level of 70 structures per square millimeter is the same as 0.02 structures
per milliliter. This translates to about 0.01 PCM-equivalent fibers per milliliter. For a lifetime
exposure, this would result in an excess cancer risk of over 2 per 1000. See EPA’s Integrated
Risk Information System for asbestos at http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0371 .htm .
Even the NYC Department of Environmental Protection testified that this would be safe for only
short periods of time. The following is a quote from Frieden, NYC Commissioner:
Health professionals have stated that short-term exposure to airborne asbestos, at levels equal to
or lower than 0.01 [fibers per milliliter, PCM equivalenfl, carries an extremely low risk of causing
asbestos-related illness.
[Frieden, T. R., and Miele, J. A. (February 11, 2002) Testimony before the U. S. Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, and
Climate Change. Alexander Hamilton U. S. Customs House, New York City. Thomas R. Frieden,
Commissioner, New York City Department of Health, Joel A. Miele Sr., Commissioner, New York
City Department of Environmental Protection]
See discussions and chart of different air asbestos levels with associated risks in the following
memorandum:
-35-
NYC-WTC_000140119
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