EPA report on WTC air monitoring and cleanup, April 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

i ■I

Chapter 6 Further Actions Needed toAddressCurrent WTC Response / Monitoring data showed that ambient air levels in Lower Manhattan had generally l^c,A ■*'”1 erceecttA returned to pre-September 11 levels in mid-2002 or earlier, and as such, EPA Sc.4 O'" ceased outdoor monitoring in June 2002. Further, all debris had been removed from the site by June 2002. However, concerns about indoor contamination e,. period ---- resulting from the collapse remained at the time we completed our review in April atsA VV'treCore 2003, even though EPA, FEMA, and New York City had initiated a multi-million dollar Indoor Air Residential Assistance program that included testing and .. \ f ce^SO‘r\i cleaning of residences in Lower Manhattan. Additional measures can be taken to" I

ensure cleanup provides reasonable assurance that the public’s exposure to asbestos and other contaminants in residences and workspaces in Lower Manhattan is within the acceptable risk guidelines.

WTC Outdoor Monitoring Ended June 2002 EPA ceased all WTC-related outdoor air monitoring in Lower Manhattan on June 20,2002, with EPA concluding that, for :he most part, outdoor ambient air Ti S AVstrC O. pollution levels had returned '.Q pre-Septembei 11 levels. , Generally, ambient pollutant levels in Lower Manhattan noticeably decreased in January 2002, once the fires at Ground Zero were essentially extinguished. Some spikes in benzene were recorded in January and February 2002, as a result of fires that flared up I during removal operations. From March 2002 through June 20,2002, die only elevated readings recorded were for asbestos. The elevated readings occurred in March and April 2002 at the worker wash station and in May 2002 at the monitoring site near the barge operation.

Out review of monitoring data as well as discussions with EPA, other Federal agencies, New York City, and selected external health research, air quality testing, academic, and environmental organization officials supported EPA’s view that the outdoor ambient air pollution levels in Lower Manhattan had, for the most part, returned to pre-September 11 levels for those pollutants where pre-September 11 monitoring data existed.

Indoor Residential Cleanup Program The testing and cleaning of residences was one of several activities included in an overall Indoor Air Residential Assistance Program funded by FEMA at an ___ estimated cost of^SbO to SSOmillion.^In addition to testing and cleaning of residences, the program included:

47 Report No. 2003-P-00012

NYC-WTC_000145687