Memo on Ground Zero residential cleanup forum, May 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

6*5 6 o

From: Tammy Meltzer <[email protected]> ■7 (J To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Friday, October 12, 2001 4:49 PM Subject: notes from last night;

I went to the Emergency Forum on Potential Health Hazards from Toxinsat the World Trade Center Disaster Site held last night at Pace University. Here are some excerpts from my notes. If anyone else was there, perhapsyou wouldn't mind commenting on what you remember or sharing your notesas well as 1 can not claim to have gotten everything that was said, I do think 1 got some, and at the very least, I definately got an overallfeeling of trepedation about the haste with which the cleanup & move-back-inprocess has been handled. The panelists, which included Dr. George Thurstonof the NYU School of Medicine (who was quoted in yesterday's NY Timesarticle), repeatedly emphasized the necessity of more stringent testingand cleaning methods, and many of them stated: "We recommend that landlordshire licensed professionals to do this."

Here are some other statements I noted, spoken by various members ofthe panel;

Dr. Stephen Levin, Selikoff Center for Occupational Safety & Health atMount Sinai Medical Center: "Much of the settled dust does contain asbestos. It must be removedby a professional. You must treat the dust as if it does contain asbestos." "Asthmatics are most at risk. The worse their previous condition, theworse their current risks." "There has been an ongoing release of irritants. There will be an ongoingrelease of irritants until those fires are out." "The risk is small, but it should be avoided."

David Neumann, Representative of NYCOSH, NY Committee of OccupationalSafety & Hygiene: All buildings in the hot & warm zones [includes all of BPC] should betested indoors for asbestos, fiberglass and silica. Indoors means insideevery room where dust is present or was present if cleaned up prior totesting. Require this of your landlord. If the results are positivefor any of these, the landlord MUST engage a cleanup effort by licensedtechnical vendors. Even if the tests are all negative, there are stillcontaminants that should be cleaned professionally and the landlordsshould be responsible. A specific description of safe testing and cleaningmethods is available on their website, at www.nycosh.org.

Dr. George Thurston, NYU School of Medicine: "If you can avoid exposure, do so."

A Union Representative of Local 78, (people who are 'licensed to handleand contain Asbestos, Lead & other Hazardous Materials for removal’): “Proper containment and proper cleanup is imperative and it is not beingdone." “The residential buildings must be treated the same as the schools;we must not pretend something is safe when it is not.”

10/12/2001 Tnn irs/sia t688 468 8T4 XVd JO^ST T00J/2T/0T NYC-WTC_000143775