Law Department notice on WTC document preservation, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document Appendix P EPA Letter Concerning Worker Protection my, : cy UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY is ; EDISON. NEW .ZRSEY 06897 OCT 05 2001 Mr. Kelly R. McKinney, PE. Associate Commissiones : Bureau of Regulatory and Environmental Health Servicee The City of New York- DEPARTMENT OF HRALTH 125 Woxth Street, Room 616, CN-32 New York, NY 10013 _ Health and safety conceras for workers at the World Trade Center Disaster Site WTC) has been aconcem dorm the beginning of the response. In addition & standard construction/cemalition site anfety concemse, this Site aise poses threats to workess setated to potentia) exposure to hazardous substances. Sources of hazardous sobstances inctude (1) building materials fiom the destroyed buildings (primerily asbestos), {2} hazardous matenals that were stored in the buildings (reftigerants, ‘hazardous wastes, etyiene siycol, compressed gas cylindsss, ctc.}, and (3) products of combustion beg emitted fron: the fires that continue to burn within the debris piles. EPA, along with a umber of other federal, state and your agency, has been gathering information about these threats to worker health. Air sampling by EPA and others indicates that asbestos and other comaniuants are present in the ais at the WIC. EPA has tecommended, and tontinues te recommend, that workers at the Site wear respiratory protection. in additon, EPA has recommended, and continues 10 recommend, that workers utilize personal protective equipment and the personnel wash stations to prevent the spread of asbestos and other hazardous substances fiom the WITT te their homes, cars, pubic transportation, food service iscalions, etc. We have observed very inconsistent compliance with our recommendations, however, we do not have authority to enforce the worker health aud safety paticies for nan- EPA/USCG eraptoyers. Therefore, EPA betieves the Incident Commander should adapt acd enforct @ site-wide Health and Safety Plan. if there is anything I can do to ussist you conceming this miatez, please feet free to cail me at (732} 321-6656. Sincerely yours, Borsa. Persipis Response asi) Prevention Branch oe: FCO, FEMA 115 Report No. 2003-P-00012 NYC-WTC_000145635