World Trade Center asbestos situation memorandum, December 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

The airborne levels can be compared to the standard used to determine whether children may re-enter a school building after asbestos has been removed or abated under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). This standard is 70 or fewer structures asbestos per square millimeter, which is a test using a specific type of filter through which a certain amount of air is drawn. The low exposure building exceeded this standard by 4.5 times at one location.

The high exposure building exceeded this standard 152 times at one location. The study noted that these levels could be many times higher when normal activities in the apartments resumed, or during cleanup operations, as the dusts became stirred up.

The concentration of asbestos in the surface dusts outside the low exposure building were only 1.05% in this study. One percent is the level which triggers the rigorous cleanup standards under the CAA asbestos NESHAP. However, the airborne levels inside die building exceeded the AHERA level several times. Thus, even lower concentrations than 1% in ftie surface dusts could still be generating airborne levels exceeding the AHERA standard. Alternatively, dusts outside may have become diluted over time by mixing with other dusts and wind dispersal, while inside the building the dusts were more concentrated. (The study did not provide concentrations in the dust itself inside the buildings.)

11/1/01 - EPA Acting Deputy Regional Administrator claims no hazard, recommends unsafe cleanup methods

Ms. Kathleen Callahan, Acting Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2 in New York City, addressed the New York City Council Enviroiunental Protection Committee on 11/1/01. She stated:

“[T]hs vast majority of our tests find levels of these contaminants that pose no significant long-term heallh risks to residents, business employees and visitors beyond ground zero. And despite recent press accounts which suggest othenwise, these findings have not changed.” (www.epa.gov/region2/news/speeches/011101 k.htm)

She did admit to asbestos levels at 1% or more in areas outside of Ground Zero in this speech. However, she was silent about the fact that this level is the science-based level found to be hazardous under the CAA, triggering the rigorous, safe cleanup methods of the asbestos NESHAP.

Ms. Callahan also recommended in her speech that people returning to dusty homes and businesses follow the recommendations of the New York City Department of Health (NYC DOH), (www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/html/alerts/wtc3 .html) The EPA website s^ up earlier on about 10/3/01 also refers residents to the extremely lenient, unsafe cleanup methods of the NYC DOH. (See EPA pages giving the actual asbestos concentrations that are linked to Ihe map at www.epa.gov/enviro/nyc/bulkdust/ )

Ms. Callahan also neglected to mention that the lenient NYC DOH guidelines she recommended contradict her own Region’s recommendations. The EPA Region 2 web page

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