Memo on Ground Zero residential cleanup forum, May 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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From: Tammy Meltzer --.~ To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Friday, October 12, 2001 4:49 PM Subject: notes from last night

Toxinsat the World I went to the Emergency Forum on Potential Health Hazards from some Trade Center Disaster Site held last night at Pace University. Here are excerpts from my notes. If anyone else was there, perhapsyou wouldn't mind commenting not claim to have on what you remember or sharing your notesas well as I can least, gotten everything that was said. I do think I got some, and at the very haste with which I definately got an overalifeeling of trepedation about the panelists, which included the cleanup & move-back-inprocess has been handled. The quoted in yesterday's Dr. George Thurstonof the NYU School of Medicine (who was more stringent testingand NY Timesarticle), repeatedly emphasized the necessity of landlordshire licensed cleaning methods, and many of them stated: "We recommend that professionals to do this." members ofthe panel: Here are some other statements I noted, spoken by various Safety & Health atMount Sinai Dr. Stephen Levin, Selikoff Center for Occupational Medical Center: removedby a professional. "Much of the settled dust does contain asbestos. It must be You must treat the dust as if it does contain asbestos." condition, theworse their "Asthmatics are most at risk. The worse their previous current risks." be an ongoingrelease "There has been an ongoing release of irritants. There will of irritants until those fires are out." "The risk is small, but it should be avoided." Committee of OccupationalSafety & David Neumann, Representative of NYCOSH, NY Hygiene: BPC] should betested indoors All buildings in the hot & warm zones [includes all of insideevery room where dust for asbestos, fiberglass and silica. Indoors means totesting. Require this of your is present or was present if cleaned up prior landlord MUST engage landlord. If the results are positivefor any of these, the Even if the tests are all negative, a cleanup effort by licensedtechnical vendors. professionally and the Iandlordsshould there are stilicontaminants that should be cleaned testing and cleaningmethods is be responsible. A specific description of safe available on their website, at www.r cosh.org.

Dr. George Thurston, NYU School of Medicine: "If you can avoid exposure, do so." (people who are `licensed to handleand contain A Union Representative of Local 78, removal'): Asbestos, Lead & other Hazardous Materials for and it is not beingdone." "Proper containment and proper cleanup is imperative same as the schools;we "The residential buildings must be treated the must not pretend something is safe when it is not."

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