September 11 public health conference agenda, Feb 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

. * The EPA has claimed publicly that it does not have the legal authority to do necessary environmental tests and

‘ remediation in response to the World Trade Center attacks. This is absurd. How can they make this claim when they have dearly done residential work throughout the Country? Why Is New York being treated differently?

I also hnd jit repugnant that an official at the EPA would deny a public health responsibility when its own mission statement says that toe EPA’s goaf is to 'protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment • air, water and land - upon which life depends.

I have also teamed that the Federal buildings at 290 Broadway, which houses the EPA, and 26 rederai Plaza, were tested inside and outside for high levels of hazardous materials and. when some were found, the areas were cleaned (Hepa vacuumed) by properly-trained personnel. Some sources have also indicated that ever, greater ciean-up measures were taken.

However, even when the EPA received teat results from a study commissioned by the Task Force that indicated serious levels of asbestos end other hazardous materials intide downtown apartments, the EPA, instead of directing systematic testing and remediation where contamination was found, instead directed residents to the NYC Department of Health (NYC^OK), which instructed them to clean asbestos-laden dust 'wito wot rags and mops" or “wet brooms’ - procedures guaranteed not to remnve or prevent asbestos contamination.

We must ask why is what the EPA says is good enough for New York residents not good enough for the EPA itself? Either the cleanup measures used at the EPA office were necessary to protect its workers or, the EPA wasted tax-payer dollars on an unnecessary cleanup. And if such cleanup measures were necessary at the EPA offices, why are such cleanup protocols not necessary at many, or all, of downtown’s residences and offices?

Today, I have leveled some serious charges at the EPA because I believe I have the moral responsibility to do so. However, i want to make perfectly clear that we still do not know the extent of the presence of hazardous mpterlals in some areas downtown. It may or may nnl be dangerous In some indoor areas of lower Manhattan • we just don’t know. I believe that given that we don’t have all of the facts, we cannot conclude anything. I dc know that that we must get the

proper facts and act swiftly and appropriately to get the job done right.

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