Air and dust sampling results: Asbestos and fiberglass findings, April

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

flPR-12-20E2 10!>7 MfiYOR’S OFC of ENU. CDORD 212 995 7024 P.05/12

A recent study by the New York Academy of Medicine (A/ew England Journal of Medicine, March 26,2002} showed that more than one of every five persons living in lower Manhattan experienced depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. The City's Departments of Mental Health and Health have, in collaboration with the State Office of Mental Health and the federal government, launched New York Needs Us Strong, a public education campaign to provide free crisis counseling, education, and referral services to people affect^ by September 11. Phone calls to the 24/7 LIFENET hotline have doubled since the disaster, with about 17,000 calls tallied between December 2001, when the campaign began, through March of 2002, including 500 calls alone on March 11, the six-month mark since the disaster, DOH has been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a protocol for a World Trade Center Registry. Since September 11, we have all had to live in a world of greater uncertainty. While outdoor air currently meets safety standards today, consideration should be given to potential long-term health effects of exposures on or around September 11. For that reason, rapid funding and Implementation of the Registry is particularly important. This Registry would identify and register workers, occupants of affected buildings and people who live or attend school near the site. The Registry would enable scientists to evaluate long-term health effects as objectively and comprehensively as possible. We continue to urge our colleagues in Washington to support this important project. The Department is also maintaining a listing of all World Trade Center research underway, with 101 projects so far enumerated, in areas including occupational health, medical care, asthma, air quality, and mental health. This listing has already been widely circulated to federal, state and local government agencies.

In sum, the New York City Health Department recognizes residents' and elected officials' concerns, and will continue to work closely with our counterparts at all levels of government to monitor air quality and to inform the public of findings as soon as they are available. Together with the Department of Mental Health, we are simultaneously addressing residents’ mental health concerns, and will continue our community outreach and education efforts. I would be happy now to answer any questions you may have. ###

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