Law Department notice on WTC document preservation, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Also, EPA communications about the risk from asbestos were not entirely consistent with prior Agency public positions regarding asbestos risk.

EPA’s communications during the WTC crisis - that the general public did not need to be concerned about short-term exposure to WTC asbestos - were inconsistent with the Agency’s prior position that all asbestos exposure is hazardous to human health. EPA’s historical position, as detailed in the Federal Register, has been that:

... short-term occupational exposures, have also been shown to increase the risk oflung cancer and mesothelioma. In addition, there are many documented cases ofmesothelioma linked to extremely briefexposure to high concentrations ofasbestos or long-term exposure to low concentrations.... EPA has concluded that it is prudent to treat allfiber types as having equivalent biological activity...Available evidence supports the conclusion that there is no safe level ofexposure to asbestos. (April 25,1986 Federal Register Volume 51, page 15722)

However, EPA’s position in its September 13,2001, press release was that the public did not need to be concerned about short-term exposure to WTC asbestos. The confusion of some residents may have been reflected at a May 8,2002, press conference, when the questioner quoted EPA’s 1986 position and asked the Region 2 Administrator:

Available evidence supports the conclusion that there is no safe levelfor exposure to asbestos. So what science are you citing that there is a safe level?

The EPA Region 2 Administrator replied:

We are talking about very short term exposure to quantities of [unintelligible word] that - we know exactly that these buildings came down and they contained asbestos. There are other places in the country perhaps where people have been exposed over long periods of time - based on using substances containing asbestos - and breathing them - as part oftheir household. We know this was a one time - you know buildings came down, and that is what needs to be cleaned up so there is not that risk of long term exposure.

The research community has not reached consensus on the relative risk to human health from exposure to different types and sizes of asbestos, and EPA’s approach has been to not distinguish between fiber types and sizes when characterizing the risk from asbestos exposure. Many experts and studies support the general message EPA conveyed about asbestos exposure and risk after the WTC

65 Report No. 2003-P-00012

NYC-WTC_000145585