World Trade Center document custody notice, Law Department

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Result of EPA Misdeeds; Inadequate Indoor Hog^ardons Materials Remediation and a Threat to Public Health As a result of the EPA’s misleading statements about air quality and because it allowed the City of New York to handle matters related to indoor enviromnents with no oversight, there has been inadequate hazardous materials testing and remediation inside residential and commercial buildings in Lower Manhattan - putting tire public health at risk

A significant number of downtown buildings simply have not been tested or remediated for hazardous material properly, or at all - in public and/or private areas.*^ Congressman Jerrold Nadler’s District Office receives calls nearly every day from constituents reporting this feet, and it has been well documented in the press.*’ Repeated assurances of air quality “safety” have resulted in vast numbers of private spaces in homes and offices being cleaned as if the dust didnot contain hazardous materials, despite the fact that official documents note tire law requires a contrary presumption. Hearing such assurances stopped many residents and employers from looking for special cleaning or remediation procedures. They simply went about doing a “normal” house or office cleaning for their private spaces.*’ Such spaces cannot be considered properly remediated or safe. However, even where tenants and building owners understood that this situation wasn’t “business as usual,” there were still many problems. With respect to indoor common spaces, building owners have no doubt found it quite easy to skirt tihe NYC DEP’s scant enforcement measures - either by remediating improperly or not taking any action with respect to testing or remediation.** Even as tenants in these buildings have found extremely high levels of hazardous materials in common spaces through their private hiring of professional contractors, their numerous calls to the NYC DEP “helpline” to report building owners’ inaction has produced little, if any, governmental response.*’ In feet, most tenants have repeated^ expressed extreme frustration when describing their attempts to access help from DEP.*^

“Official Transcript,” EPA National Ombudsman First Investigative Hearing on World Trade Center Hazardous Waste Contamination,” February 23, 2002. Sec specifically testimony from downtown residents and business owners. Statement taken from Constituent Services Staff Members, Office of Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY- 08) '’’ibid. Lyman, Francesca, “Yearning to Breathe in a Toxic Zone: Four Months on, WTC Attacks Still Haunting New Yorkers - And Their Health,” MSNBC, January 11,2002. See specifically comments by Mr. Steve Swaney. '’’“Official Transcript,” EPA National Ombudsman First Investigative Hearing on World Trade Center Hazardous Waste Contamination,” February 23, 2002. See for example testimony of Ms. Dawn Pryor, resident, p. 183-196 and Ms. Mary Perillo, residrat, p. 197-228. “Official Transcript,” EPA National Ombudsman First Investigative Hearing on World Trade Crater Hazardous Waste Contamination,” February 23, 2002. See specifically testimony from downtown residents and business owners.

9

NYC-WTC_000144731