HVAC cleanup proposal for residential units, Feb 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

EPA WTC Dust Cleanup: Dust Cleanup and Testing Plan http://epa.gov/wtc/dustcleanup/factsheets/plan.htnil

submit their requests for cleaning and/or testing. The Agency will widely publicize the hotline numberthrough direct mail, the media and its Web site.

Information taken by hotline operators is automatically entered in the electronic database to be used by our scheduling and cleaning contractors. Operators will be available to take residents' information in English, Spanish and Chinese.

Privacy Individual information in this database will not be made public. Only aggregate information (number of homes cleaned, etc.) may be made public.

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Cleaning Occupied Residences in Lower Manhattan New York City certified asbestos cleanup contractors are being hired (using FEMA funding) for residents living south of Canal, Allen and Pike Streets who wish to have their homes professionally cleaned. These contractors will thoroughly clean apartments, including carpets, upholstery and drapes and unit air conditioners. EPA will conduct followup testing for asbestos in the indoor air after the cleanups are completed. The Agency will assess the testing results using a federal health benchmark or level that assumes a thirty year exposure. This means that if a population of 10,000 people is exposed to a level of asbestos above the benchmark for a period of thirty years, there would be one additional case of cancer beyond what that population would normally expect to experience.

Upon request, the Agency will provide the option of testing-only for residents who do not want their apartments cleaned. If asbestos levels exceed the thirty year health benchmark, these residents may then request a followup cleaning. Cleanup cannot later be requested if testing does not find asbestos levels above the thirty year health benchmark.

Residents (including those whose apartments have been professionally cleaned) who wish to do their own cleaning on an ongoing basis can be reimbursed for the purchase of a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner. These vacuums are recommended for continued cleaning because they are designed to pick up very fine particles including asbestos fibers. Residents who have already been reimbursed for the purchase of a HEPA filter vac will not be reimbursed for a second vacuum.

Unoccupied Buildings in Lower Manhattan NYCDEP will supervise the cleaning of any impacted buildings that remain unoccupied. Some of these buildings have not been cleaned thoroughly and others have not been cleaned at all. EPA will use one of these unoccupied buildings to test the effectiveness of various cleaning techniques including those recommended by the various government agencies following the collapse of the World Trade Center. Comprehensive sampling will be conducted following regular vacuuming, HEPA vacuuming, and damp wiping and mopping to confirm cleaning effectiveness or refine cleanup techniques based upon sampling results.

Rooftops and Facades NYCDEP has begun the cleanup of residual dust and debris remaining on rooftops and building facades in Lower Manhattan. DEP has done a building-by-building survey of all buildings in the target area and is working out the last details of gaining access to clean the roof tops and facades of any building with remaining debris. Much of the debris is caked and does not pose an immediate risk, but removing the debris will eliminate the possibility that it may become airborne at some later date and thus get into residences.

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