HVAC cleanup proposal for residential units, Feb 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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EPA AND NEW YORK CITY OUTLINE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF LOWER MANHATTAN RESIDENTS ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSE Questions and Answers Mays, 2002 1) Does the fact that EPA is willing to clean apartments mean that you are not confident in the cleaning recommendations to use wet wipesZmops and HEPA vacs? We remain confident that the cleanup methods recommended for residences with minimal dust -- wet wiping, wet mopping and using HEPA filter vacuums — are effective. EPA has recommended the use of professional certified cleanup contractors in residential units in which there was a significant accumulation of dust or debris.

The Agency recommends that all residential and commercial spaces that have been cleaned, especially those with significant impacts from dust or debris from the collapse, repeat cleaning using wet mopr. wet wipes and HEPA vacuums. Porous surfaces, like carpets and drapes, may still contain some dust that might get re-entrained in the air. Exposure occurs when the materials are in the air and inhaled. These cleaning methods greatly reduce the chance of the substances getting into the air.

EPA's pilot testing and background studies will yield more information in the longer term, but we do have the results of a study done by the ATSDR and the NYC Department of Health. This study tested the air inside apartments that were cleaned using the recommended methods. No air testing showed asbestos above the standard used for re-entry into schools after an asbestos removal. In a number of the apartments, dust samples showed that some asbestos remained. This is why we continue to recommend ongoing cleaning.

Our cleanup program is meant to give residents an added level of assurance about their homes. EPA is offering this cleanup and testing program and is also offering HEPA vacuums.

2) Isn’t it too late to offer this cleaning program? Haven't people already been exposed? The scientific data about any immediate health risks from indoor air is reassuring and we do not have an emergency situation.

The first thing to remember is that, for most of the compounds that present a potential long-term health risk, exposure must occur at elevated levels over a long period of time. Health effects caused by asbestos most often occur when exposure is to relatively high levels over a long period of time. Even if people have not cleaned using recommended methods, leading medical experts have concluded that the risk of getting sick from exposure to asbestos from the WTC collapse is very, very small. According to Dr. Stephen Levin, medical director of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine's Center for Occupational Health and Environmental Medicine, "It's not a zero increase in risk, but it's not a magnitude of risk that I think people ought to be terrorized by...."

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