NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
EPA’s Indoor Air Objectives: 4/9/02
Cleaning of Building Exteriors
EPA is in discussion with NYCDEP regarding how we can provide assistance to NYCDEP’s
program to clean the building exteriors in Lower Manhattan. Most likely, we will contribute to
NYCDEP’s efforts to oversee the contractors as they conduct the cleaning. The objective of this
effort is to remove any WTC-related debris that may enter the indoor environment.
Lead: NYCDEP
Primary Assistance: EPA, FEMA
Schedule: ASAP, April. Will take approximately 10 weeks.
Cleaning of Unoccupied Debris-Laden Buildings for Reoccupation
There are a few remaining unoccupied buildings that contain a significant amount of WTC dust
near the WTC site. One of the buildings will be cleaned through EPA’s pilot effort, but the
remaining buildings should be cleaned as soon as possible to prevent decontamination of other
structures in Lower Manhattan.
Lead: NYC
Primary Assistance: EPA, FEMA
Schedule: ASAP, May.
Establishment of Hotline for Identifying Individuals/Businesses with Cleaning Concerns
NYC should immediately establish a hotline that records the names and locations of individuals
with concerns regarding the level of cleaning that occurred within their residence/office. The
objective of recording these names is to be able to deploy current assistance into the field, and to
disseminate future information once we conclude our ongoing investigations to develop final
benchmarks and enhance cleaning protocols.
Lead: NYC
Primary Assistance: EPA, NYCDOH
Schedule: ASAP, April
Establishment of a Program to Assist Individuals/Businesses with Cleaning Concerns
NYC should immediately establish mechanisms to offer assistance to individuals/businesses that
self-identify as having cleaning concerns. This can be accomplished by initiating a program that
may include the following actions.
1) Loaning HEPA vacuums to interested parties for them to use in cleaning,
2) obtaining asbestos abatement contractor services that can be made available ffee-of-charge on
an as-requested basis,
3) providing funding to individuals/businesses to conduct an asbestos abatement cleaning of
their locations, and
4) obtaining a contractor to conduct testing of locations, on an as-requested basis, to determine if
samples collected meet the preliminary benchmarks being established for determining
long-term risk.
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