NYC DOH hotline Q&A on HVAC cleaning protocols and asbestos,

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

sensitive individuals in the general population who are exhibiting these short term health effects.

• Do residents need to see a physician that is a respiratory specialist for air exposure concerns? If you are experiencing difficulty breathing or have symptoms that are different than what you’ve experienced before, you should seek medical attention. This person does not necessarily need to be a respiratory specialist.

B. Children

• 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 protec|?nore sensitive population^including children and the elderly.

• 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 sampie 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.

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