HVAC cleanup proposal for residential units, Feb 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

< potential new pollution for the indoor areas. In particular, they say rooftop debris represents a potential hazard.

They also say the testing methodology needs to be more comprehensive than what city officials had required after Sept. 11. The city essentially had recommended landlords rely on polarized-light microscopes to detect asbestos. But the light scopes aren't as sensitive as newer electron microscopes, which the residents have used to find asbestos in areas cleared by light scopes.

Finally, the’critics say the EPA's plan to respond mainly to residences seeking more cleanup could be flawed, since neighbors who don't request cleaning could still have asbestos in their homes which could continue to contaminate the building.

"If this is just a voluntary cleanup, it won't "be much of a cleanup," said Cate Jenkins, a senior scientist with the EPA in Washington who has been helping residents pressure the agency into taking a stronger stance over the cleanup.

Still, the move represents a concession by the EPA that the city-led cleanup wasn't working. The city took jurisdiction over indoor cleanup of residences and offices affected by the World Trade Center fallout under a disaster plan coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The EPA took responsibility for cleaning and testing outdoor areas under the same plan.

But the setup was criticized almost from the outset. For example, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman drew fire when she asserted only a week after the attacks that the air and water around Ground Zero were safe. Yet tests afterward continued to show asbestos in rooftop debris and other exterior places which testing experts say could provide new sources of contamination. Apartment and condo residents also complained of coughing, wheezing and other irritations, which medical experts have said were likely linked to their exposure to fiberglass and other airborne particulates still inside buildings. Asbestos symptoms take years to develop and can lead to asbestosis and other deadly diseases.

Meanwhile, many residents have complained the city has done little to make sure landlords clean their buildings. Joel Miele, commissioner of New York's Department of Environmental Protection, admitted as much under questioning before a Feb. 11 hearing convened by Democrat Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. In response to a question from Sen. Clinton whether he could say every landlord and building had complied with the city's cleanup regulations, Mr. Miele • responded, "No, I can't tell you that."

Write to Jim Carlton [email protected]

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