September 11 public health conference agenda, Feb 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Session-

1) What was the environniental & occupational health impacts? 2) Impact on different workers at Ground 7-ern and nearby? 3) How accurate was the assessmmit? 4) How effective was the communication? S) How was tiie medical effectiveness? (not too sure of tills point) 6) How effective was the regulatory framework? 7) What are the ongoing needs? 8) "Vtliat lessons have been learned to date? 9) How should we address emergencies in tiie future - what policies, programs, research studies, etc. are needed?

Occupational Health: Steven Markowitz, Queens College Occupational Medical Physical area.

Said there was no systematic understanding of the health impact Do not have enough information about the health of people near Ground Zero even though lO’s of 1000*$ of samples were taken between 10/01 and 11/01. There was a mobile medical unit at Barclay & Broadway -provided by NICOSH, the Latin American Workers Project He examined tile asbestos laborers who didn’t speak English, had tenuous relationships with their employers, had no respirators, mops, rags, & bags. There were no inspectors present - a high degree of hazard. Got finding from FEMA (?) conducted screenings; saw clean-wp workers from about 100 bldgs. RESULTS: a reservoir of people who were not getting attention. Also saw asbestos workers from Local 78 - saw 415 workers throng 1/14; gave them free respirators. Mobile van dosed at the end of February. Found problems with sinusitis, upper airway irritation, chest dysfunction, breathing tests were normal, by and large, insomnia, headaches, dizziness. With dean-up employees, when no one is looking, one doesn’t err on the side of caution — they need advice and direction.

Jeffrey Grabelsky, Dir. Of Cornell Univ. School of Labor Relations - Response of the BuUding Trades (AFL/CEO) to the WTC disaster: He’s a licensed electrician not a health and safety person; worked with the Central Labor CouncQ.

Said lOOO’s of union trade workers rushed south to help with the rescue and recovery; dispatched construction safety teams. Worked w/o supervision or direction. About 1 million tons of steel and debris were moved in these 6 months. OSHA’s work was very impressive. Also talked about tiie Union consciousness and culture of the workers ... history of cooperative tradition. Talked about a safety training program for site work; having a construction safety coordinator on site; train workers in confined space procedures; rebuild ad run the city as a more Union town.

David Newman, Industrial Hygienist - New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NICOSH)

Analysis of Recovery Operations:

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