EPA and City Plan for Indoor Air Quality, May 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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x>EPA Environmental News TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18,2001

WHITMAN DETAILS ONGOING AGENCY EFFORTS TO MONITOR DISASTER SITES, CONTRIBUTE TO CLEANUP EFFORTS Contact: Bonnie Piper, 202-564.783€ David Deegan, 202-564-7839

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced today that results from the Agency's air and drinking water monitoring near the World Trade Center and Pentagon disaster sites indicate that these vital resources are safe. Whitman also announced that EPA has been given up to $83 million from die Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support EPA's involvement in cleanup activities and ongoing monitoring of environmental conditions tn both the New York City and Washington metropolitan areas following last week's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 'We are very encouraged that the results from our monitoring of air quality and drinking water conditions in both New York and near die Pentagon show that the public in these areas is not being exposed to excessive levels of asbestos or other harmful substances,* Whitman said. "Given the scope of the tragedy from last week, I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington, D.C. dial their air is safe to breath and their water is safe to drink,* she added. In the adennath of last Tuesday's attacks, EPA hat worked closely with state, federal and local authorities to provide expertise on methods for hazardous materials, as well as to detect whether any contaminants are found in ambient air quality monitoring, sampling of drinking water sources and sampling of runoff* near the disaster sites. At die request of FEMA, EPA has been involved in the cleaniq* and aite monitoring efforts, working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Centers for Disease Control (CE>C), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and state and local organizations. EPA has conducted repeated monitoring of ambient air at die site of the World Trade Center and in the general Wall Street district of Manhattan, as well as in Brooklyn. Th« Agency is planning to perform air ':ac>mtoring in the auoounding New York metropolitan area. EPA bias established 10 continuous (stationary) air monitoring stations near the WTC site. Thus far, from 50 air samples taken, the vast majority of results are either non-detectable or below established levels of concern for asbestos, lead and volatile organic compounds. The hipest levels of asbestos have been detected within one-half block of ground zero, where rescuers have been provided with appropriate protective equipment.

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