Draft report excerpt on WTC demolition and debris removal, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

The demolition of all WTC complex buildings to ground level was completed by late December 2001. WTC 4 and WTC 5 were brought down using a vertical impact system similar to a i^Ie^vCT^ wrecking balls. Section 27-1039d of the New York City Building Codg'Thls^ethod of bringing down a building req uired approval of the Borough Commissioner of the Department of Buildingsto use this method of demolition. The appropriate borough commissoner was consulted and he concurred in use of this method.had been outlawed in New York for over two decades, but an exception was granted under the special cireumstances that existed after the terrorist attack; WTC 6 was brought down using mechamcal grapplers. A^oto of a grappler is attached at Appendix .witl^^ucial luuroto^

Both NYCDDC and QSHA officials told-us that tThe WTC site was under continuous dust suppression.(If this is not acceptable then we suggest as an alternative “EPA officials were at the site and observed that the site was under continuous dust suppression.” OSHA officials told us that this dust suppression was very successful, and that two minuit^after demolition you could see across the space where the buildings had been.I. ^hey further stated that it would have been too dangerous to send abatement contractors into WTC 4, WTC 5, or WTC 6 to remove asbestos-containing material before demolition^

Treatment of Asbestos-Containing Materials

Both NYCDDC and EPA officials told us that when asbestos-containing material (e.g., pipe wrapping, steel insulation) was encountered during the removal, it was tested and treated in accordance with asbestos abatement procedures. According to the NYCDDC official, the majority of the asbestos-containing material was encountered when removing the remnants of the basement levels of WTC 6. below the slurry wall.

EPA Situation Reports confirmed the NYCDDC official’s statement about asbestos abatements at the site. The reports recorded instances where asbestos was found during debris removal and asbestos abatements performed. For example, the EPA May 23,2002, situation report noted that:

Twelve (12) bulk asbestos samples were taken in the Bl, B2, B3, levels of (WTC) Building 6. The samples were taken from sprayed on insulation at the request ofNYC DOL Of the twelve samples, nine (9) should (sic) results were in excess of 1% Chrysotile asbestos, the results rangedJrom 1.30% to 30.80%. The three samples that were not above 1% were detectfor Chrysotile asbestos. These samples were taken from wind braces and girders that were suspected to contain asbestos. The samples were split samples with Bovis’s

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