EPA OIG draft excerpt on WTC residential cleaning program, June

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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.

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 (J2) bulk asbestos samples were taken in the Bl, B2, B3, levels of (WTC) Building 6. Ihe samples were taken from sprayed on insulation at the request ofNYC DOI. Ofthe twelve samples, nine (9) should (sic) results were in excess of 1% Chrysotile asbestos, the results rangedfrom 1.30% to 30.80%. The three samples that were not above 1% were detectfor Chrysotile asbestos.

The situation reports also noted the presence of asbestos-containing material and the operation of another abatement project at the WTC site in April 2002. According to the April 5,2002, Situation Report, bulk testing showed that one sample of the pipe wrap that was being removed as part of this abatement contained 66 percent amosite' asbestos.

Removal of Debris From Site

In order to minimize dust emissions. City, State, and Federal officials established procedures for trucks hauling debris fi-om the site. These procedures included the use of tarps (nylon mesh) to cover debris and procedures for wetting down the trucks before they left the site. The truck wetting operation was performed by contractors for EPA. The large volume of traffic made ensuring compliance with procedures difficult. Particularly in the weeks immediately following the disaster, trucks hauling debris from the site did not consistently stop to be wetted down

1 Amosite is a form of amphibole asbestos. Several studies suggest that amphibole asbestos may be more harmful than chrysotile asbestos, particularly for mesothelioma. Test results from the site showed that the asbestos was predominantly chrysotile, not amphibole.

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