NYC DOH hotline Q&A on building cleaning and HVAC maintenance,

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

• Is it safe for children to breathe the air? Since they have smaller lungs and their bodies are still developing, do the standards for determining the health effects of toxins in the air take into account children’s physical development? We agree the children are more vulnerable to environmental conditions. However, the air standards being used for environmental monitoring are designed to protect the more sensitive populations including children and the elderly, (added “the” before more)

• Different pediatricians are giving different assessments of the impact on children? What is DOH’s position? Every child/patient has unique genetic, physical and emotional reactions with some being more sensitive than others. The DOH cannot respond to individual patient symptoms. Individuals should seek medical attention if they are experiencing adverse health effects. The Mt. Sinai Pediatric Environmental Health Unit can also be contacted at www.mssm,edu/cpm/peds_environ.shtml or called at 1-866-265-6201.

• In the indoor air testing, why did we sample the air at adult breathing levels and not lower levels where young children breathe? (The Mt. Sinai doctor’s testimony indicated that we should be more concerned about children’s exposures and that we aren’t doing enough) The method used in the WTC Indoor Air Sampling Project was a standard method used for the general public. There should not be a significant difference in capturing what is in the air at those different breathing zones.

C. Asbestos

• The indoor study found the presence of asbestos in the dust Doesn’t it take only one fiber of asbestos lodged in a lung to cause disease, and if so aren’t we all at increased risk for disease? Studies of lung diseases caused by asbestos indicate that affected populations were exposed to large amounts of asbestos for long periods of time.

• Don’t we risk inhaling asbestos even if we wet clean and HEPAvac since the small fibers escape? Cleaning up small amounts of material using wet methods and HEPAvacs take into account the need to remove fibers of all sizes. A HEPAvac is designed to capture small fibers.

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