Guide to identifying suspicious packages and letters

weigh any reassurances provided by center of the attacks, but no finding tious and because a safety standard what the regulatory people are sayl health or environmental officials, ex­ reveals a risk to public health. for outdoor air does not exist. No­ ing. Things are within legal standy* perts on risk communication said. Only 27 of 442 air samples exceed­ where except near some mines has ards and going down over time." -"-' “We’re designed to react first ed E.P.A. safety levels for asbestos, there ever been a problem w.th as­ But downtown residents remaM" based on whatever information we but the mere mention of that sub­ bestos contamination outside a build­ wary. At the Wednesday night meet-? have at the time, which is mainly stance causes alarm. ing, federal and city officials said. ing, many said they left the gathei^-? emotional and intuitive factors,” Since the first days after the at­ But the mere fact that the level of ing more disturbed than when they^' said David P. Ropeik, the director of tack, asbestos levels in dust in the asbestos does exceed a known arrived. /" risk communication for the Center red zone have almost all been below threshold for safety has prompted “I am mystified once again that for Risk Analysis at the Harvard the concentration at which the min­ the calls, e-mail messages and angry am walking out of a meeting with ho" School of Public Health. eral is even technically defined to questions at meetings. more information than I came ip., But the one thing that may add the exist — 1 percent of the total mass of “You can see the dust, you can with, and still unsure if I should b^ most to the confusion is the statistics a sample. taste the dust, you can smell the living in my apartment,” said Doi^-j themselves. Taken alone, without a The exceptions to those findings smoke," said Mary Mears, a spokes­ full explanation from the authorities, have been made by the federal woman for the Environmental Pro­ aid Scherer, president of the Batter)^ the numbers sound frightening. E.P.A. and the City’s Department of tection Agency who rides the ferry Park City Residents’ Associatipn. 4,w Officials have tested for asbestos, Environmental Protection, which from Jersey City each morning and “My wife is pregnant and we’re., metals — lead, iron oxide, zinc oxide, have noted on their Web sites certain walks through the red zone to her scared as hell,” he said. • .•'0 copper, beryllium — and soot that days and places in the red zone office on lower Broadway. “I can The safety situation as improved' might create health hazards, as well where levels of asbestos in outdoor understand why people are not con­ substantially at the si. * itself, offi­ as other pollutants. air exceeded safety standards. But vinced based on the evidence they cials said. Dr. Thomas Ar* cte, a med><< None of the metals exceeded those standards were set for air in­ see. By the time I get to work I feel ical epidemiologist for the Nationals OSHA limits. Tests have revealed side buildings, not the air outside, like I was licking the sidewalk.” Centers for Environmental Healtlv'- occasional spikes in the levels of which disperses quickly. She noted that no agency is saying who was in New York City to watch soot, which seem to be associated So while the quality of the air may that the air and dust are absolutely for any health threats, said there was with the flare-ups of fires within the indeed 'oe below certain safety stand­ harmless. “We can’t call it 100 per­ virtually no supervision at the atta;^. wreckage, state environmental offi­ ards, it is not dangerous, the agen­ cent safe,” Ms. Mears said. “If you site of the wreckage removal, with a cials said. cies say. Asbestos risks increase suffer from asthma, or even if you’re lot of dust lofted into the air unneces* In all cases, the E.P.A. and OSHA, when someone is exposed to it for a just sensitive, the dust alone can sarily. That was unavoidable, wUHL along with the city’s Department of long period — often years — in a irritate your lungs.” everyone focused on the search Tdr* Health, indicated that there was no confined space. The chances of being Peter M. Iwanowicz, the director survivors. Now, though officials are reason for general public concern. affected now are minuscule, the au­ of environmental health for the insisting that trucks be covered with The agencies all note that there have thorities said. American Lung Association of New tarps, the streets, wreckage and been transient spikes in one pollutant "Die agencies said they chose to York State, said: “Everything I’ve workers are washed down to cut or another, particularly near the epi- use the indoor standard to be cau- seen so far has been consistent with dust. • O1

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