New York Times article on WTC apartment cleanup bids, Aug

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Help’s out there, but who knew? By LUCY KOMISAR . a- A federal-state program to protect people who live in the dty from asbestos by reimbursing them for air • -L Ju^urifiers, vacuums and air conditioners is so hush- hush that most people don’t know about it As a result though 3 million New York City households are eligible to get up to $1,600, only about 1% — 31,000 — have applied. The subsidies are part of the post-9/11 cleanup to elimi­ nate asbestos that might be nestling in household dust or sucked into air conditioners. State Labor Department offi­ cials administering the grants have sponsored no public information campaign about them. Officials give conflicting answers about whether approv­ al is needed to purchase items. Brian Sogol of the office of state Sen. Thomas Duane (D-Manhattan) learned that an Individual and Family Grant helpline is always busy be­ cause of lack of staff. 'i i'55 New Yorkers, who may risk asbestos poisoning, have a right to know about these grants. Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Mary , Mears explained, “When the Trade Centers collapsed, tre­ mendous dust was produced. We took street samples, and E about a third contained asbestos. We feel the prudent thing is to get rid of as much of this dust as possible to re­

J duce potential risk.” High-efficiency particle arresting — HEPA — vacuum cleaners filter out dust and asbestos. They remove 99.97% of harmful particles, including dust mites, mold spores,

IHOTO pet dander, allergens and even anthrax spores. Should one worry 10 months after the event? “If you have asbestos in your home, it can get kicked up. It’s the buildup over long periods that counts," Mears said. “The risk is low, but if it’s a simple matter of getting rid of the dust, let’s get rid of the dust" The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the g are state will reimburse households in the city up to $500 for g HEPA air purifiers, $300 for extra filters, $300 for the vac- 5 ing uums and $500 for replacing or repairing air conditioners g affected by dust or debris or damaged in the attack on the g tis- twin towers. • !Ch- Special arrangements may be made for people lacking ■aid funds up front. Three-quarters of the subsidy comes from fec- the $21.5 billion federal 9/11 disaster aid package, the rest £ and from the state. g ar-^ To apply, caUFEMA at (800) 462-9029 through Septem- o/ ber. For information, see www.fema.gov. The grant help- 18 line is (866) 346-0348. Also, turn in old air conditioners^ ists^ Sept 20 for a $75 bounty if the new model meets high-efn- dency standards. Call (877) 697-6278 or log on to & I www.getenerp^mart.oig for information. £ «se I You’d think New Yorkers would be signing up in 3 ack droves. They would if the state only told them about it Komisar is a New York journalist whose windows face the Mferld Tt-ade Center site, -e ‘ to , I ( 4 J-

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