Asbestos air sampling plan for NYC schools and Ground Zero

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document HiJ'--07-2002 16:01 5'., NYC D.E.P. PUBLIC AFFAIRS P.03/04

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PRESS RELEASE

Contact; Concerned Stuyvesant Parente Paul L. Edwards. Media Committee, 212-254-1069

Auguust 7* 2002

ASBESTOS FOUND DURING STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL CLEANUP Problems with lead tests also raise concern

NEW YORK — Extremely high levels of asbestos have been found in the auditorium of Stuyvcsant High

School. Tests of the carpeting reveal asbestos levels that are more than 250 times the normal background

levels expected in New York City.

The test results, which have not been released by the Stuyvesant High School Parents’ Assn..

which paid for the analysis, or the Board of Education, were obtained by Concerned Stuyvesant Parents, an

independent parents’ group. A thorough environmental cleanup of the ventilation systems at Stuyvesant is now in progress,

folloiving the release in June of lead test data that showed the ducts and unit ventilators in the school were

heavily contaminated with lead. However, a consultant under contract to the Parents’ Assn, has radicated

that some of the follow-up testing now underway is being conducted improperly and should be repeated.

Concerned Stuyvesant Parents is particularly troubled by the finding of significant asbestos levels,

considering that the school underwent an asbestos abatement following the September 1P collapse of the

World Trade Center and before students returned to class on October 9*.

Using an ultrasonication test that is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos

levels of as much as 2.5 million structures per square centimeter were found in one sample .A second

sample rescaled 60.000 structjres/cm^ A'diough no formal EPa standard exists for this test,

environmental e.xperts generally consider any finding up f i o.OOO structures-'em* to be a normal

background level. Readings up to 100,000 structureS'Ci; . cnsidered cause for concern. And experts say

that levels found in excess of 100,000 structure&'cm^ should be abated.

Additionally. Howard Bader, the consultant on retainer to the Parents' Assn., has stated that on

related WTC related projects, levels in c.xcess of 10,000 are currently triggering abatement.

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