Technical memorandum from EPA discussing ultrasonication testing for asbestos in carpets and HEPA vacuuming effectiveness.
NYC-WTC_000140127–000140137Folder label: “EPA Cate Jenkins”
OCR status: ok · source: pdftotext
NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
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preferable to test a piece from a flat, upper horizontal surface which would be more contaminated.
ASTM microvacuum method Is Inadequate for carpets and other woven fabrics
Some argue that testing carpet and fabrics with the hand-held ASTM microvacuum suction pump would be a good enough test, since it would get out the easily releasable asbestos. In this method, carpet and other fabrics are sampled by a hand-held air suction pump. The fabric is essentially vacuumed by the pump. The asbestos is caught on a filter, and then the filter is sent to the lab for testing.
However, this ASTM microvacuum sampling pump is only a first-line test for carpet and other woven fabrics, and is not definitive. The microvacuum pump does not apply any greater suction than a good vacuum cleaner. High impacts, such as a child running or rolling on the carpet, will release much more asbestos than any vacuuming process. The EPA ultrasonication method will extract over 100 times the amount of asbestos from carpet compared to the ASTM microvacuum method. The ultrasonication method is also an official EPA method specific to carpet, and is thus preferred.’
NYC APT. BUILDING USES ULTRASONIC CARPET TESTING
The New York Environmental Law and Justice Project’® obtained carpet samples from one NYC apartment building on Hudson St., near the intersection with Thomas St. The samples were taken on May 29,2002, over 8 months after the collapse of the WTC. The samples were tested by EPA’s ultrasonication method. The results are given in Table 1. The building is 9 blocks north of Ground Zero, and 4 blocks north of Warren St. Warren St. was defined by the New York City Department of Health as the northernmost point of contamination from WTC fallout.
The building does not have central forced air heating and cooling. Heat is by floorboard hot water pipes. Air conditioning is by individual window units. There is forced air circulation in the hallways only. The building is a well maintained with a clean boiler room and basement. As seen in a later section of this memo, these levels are high, indicating a major asbestos release. The pattern of the contamination, roof and lower hallway, is indicative of the asbestos source being the World Trade Center.
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NYC-WTC_000140132
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NYC-WTC_000140040
Technical memorandum from EPA discussing ultrasonication testing for asbestos in carpets and HEPA vacuuming effectiveness.
10 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.978
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000140083
Forwarded EPA memorandum dated June 9, 2002, concerning the Asbestos Reservoir and carpet testing methods.
10 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.978
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000140138
EPA memorandum addressing World Trade Center asbestos contamination status and agency efforts to provide information on the situation.
8 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.959
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000140170
EPA memorandum on wipe sampling methods for asbestos in Lower Manhattan buildings, resuspension projections, and cancer risk estimates from WTC dust exposure.
9 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.957
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000140259
Memorandum detailing procedures for asbestos wipe sampling in Lower Manhattan and estimating associated cancer risks from dust exposure.
7 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.954
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000140235
Memorandum comparing asbestos data in Manhattan to other sites and arguing for cleanup under the Superfund statute.
7 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.947
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000151635
EPA memorandum detailing plans for asbestos wipe sampling, projecting airborne dust levels, and estimating increased cancer risks from WTC dust exposure.
7 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.954
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000154652
Internal tracking document for managing reports, comments, and actions related to environmental compliance cases.
7 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.953
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000144624
EPA report detailing microscopy methods for assessing asbestos fiber contamination in carpeting.
4 shared non-person entities · similarity 0.946
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machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000125845
Draft fact sheet from DOH and DEP addressing tenant concerns regarding asbestos fibers at 105 Duane Street.
7 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.941
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000123868
Letter from the NYC Department of Health dated February 8, 2002, summarizing environmental sampling and asbestos testing results at a residential building.
6 shared non-person entities · similarity 0.931
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NYC-WTC_000140036
Administrative notice requiring preservation of World Trade Center-related documents as evidence for potential future legal actions against the City.
Filed in the same folder
NYC-WTC_000140038
Forwarded EPA memorandum dated June 9, 2002, concerning the Asbestos Reservoir and carpet testing methods.
Filed in the same folder
NYC-WTC_000140040
Technical memorandum from EPA discussing ultrasonication testing for asbestos in carpets and HEPA vacuuming effectiveness.
Filed in the same folder
NYC-WTC_000140080
Forwarded EPA memorandum dated June 9, 2002, concerning the Asbestos Reservoir and carpet testing methods.
Filed in the same folder
NYC-WTC_000140082
Reference chart comparing asbestos air concentration standards, detection limits, and lifetime cancer risk levels for fibers per milliliter PCM equivalents.
Filed in the same folder