OIG

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Table 3-1 notes three key instructions New York City provided to building owners and residents regarding the potential for indoor contamination resulting from the collapse of the WTC towers and steps for cleaning the indoor contamination:

Table 3-1: Actions by New York City Date _______________________ Key Statement 09-16-01 The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) issued a "Public Notice" flyer to building owners that discussed building maintenance issues. The notice stated that building owners/managers should have possible contamination problems reviewed by competent professionals. NYCDEP officials said the notice was not mailed or included in any newspaper, but was distributed by hand in Lower Manhattan by NYCDEP inspectors (see Appendix M for a copy of the notice). 09-17-01 NYCDOH issued a press release that recommended that individuals reentering their residences and places of work remove dust by using a wet rag or wet mop, and vacuum with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filtration vacuum. If a HEPA vacuum was not available, the press release recommended using HEPA bags or dust allergen bags with a regular vacuum cleaner, (see Appendix N for a copy of the press release). 10-25-01 NYCDEP described benchmarks and guidelines used to evaluate environmental conditions in a letter to Lower Manhattan residents dated October 25. In regard to cleaning indoor spaces the letter stated: "If more than 1 percent asbestos was found and testing and cleaning was necessary, it had to be performed by certified personnel." In addition, the statement indicated landlords should not reopen any building until a competent professional had properly inspected their building. The City’s Asbestos Abatement Program requires that building owners file a written notification with the NYCDEP for asbestos abatement projects that do not require plan or permit approval from the City’s Buildings Department. NYCDEP officials told us this notification applied to buildings owners who found more than 1 percent asbestos in the dust in their buildings (see Appendix O for a copy of the instructions).

NYCDEP officials told us they did not conduct a certification program to determine the level of compliance with their instructions regarding the testing and cleaning of asbestos inside buildings. Beginning in September 2001, they said they began visually inspecting the exteriors of over 1,000 buildings and identified 324 buildings with visible dust. NYCDEP officials told us that 90 of these 324 building exteriors were subsequently cleaned by the building owners and the remaining owners stated they could not afford to clean their buildings. These remaining owners were eligible to have their buildings cleaned by NYCDEP with funding provided by FEMA.

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