DEP ROOF/FACADE CLEANING FILE

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

• Why is the DOH not recommending that local residents be tested for toxins in the blood?

Results of routine air monitoring to date have not indicated that medical testing for environmental contaminants is necessary for the general public. In addition, there are no reliable medical tests that can detect short-term, low level exposures to asbestos or other fibers (including fiberglass.) When medical tests are available for environmental contaminants, they only show if levels of the substance are elevated, indicating past exposure to above-normal levels. These tests cannot determine where, when or how long the individual was exposed or whether they will develop health effects.

Medical tests exist for heavy metals, including elemental mercury and lead. The preferred test for lead exposure is a blood test, while the most accurate test for environmental exposure to elemental mFicury is a urine test. The DOH has investigated reports of elevated mercu-y among four workers at the site and found that initial tests of blood mercu'^y were slightly elevated. Blood mercury can be elevated if a person has consumed fish within sixty days of the test. Urine mercury is a more specific test for exposures to metallic (elemental) mercury, the type of mercury of concern for occupational exposures. Follow-up urine tests of these workers did not reveal elevated mercury levels. Personal air sampling at the site among individual workers found that mercury was not elevated in the air. Given these low levels found in both clinical and environmental sampling at the site, at this time testing residents for mercury levels is not warranted.

Medical tests exist to measure levels of PCBs and dioxins in blood, body fat, and breast milk, but these are not routinely conducted for community exposures because most people have low levels of these substances in their bodies already.

ill OUTDOOR RELATED ISSUES A. Outdoor Air Testing

• Who is doing research on the synergistic effects of the various toxic substances together in the air?

• Since the only standards for assessing the impact of asbestos are for occupational exposure over 20 years, does this mean that residents of Lower Manhattan could be more at risk for a shorter period of time since many people are in the area for 24 hour periods (NOT an 8 hour day like factory workers?)

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