HVAC cleanup proposal for residential units, Feb 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

' EPA Response to 9-11: Frequently Asked Questions http://www,epa.gov/wtc/questions/index.html

like carpets and drapes, may still contain some dust that might get released into the air. Exposure occurs when the materials are in the air and inhaled. These followup cleaning methods further reduce the chance of any pollutants that might be present getting into the air.

EPA is conducting two studies that will yield more information in the longer term. A pilot study of various cleaning techniques -wet wiping, wet mopping and using HEPA vacuums - will be conducted in an unoccupied lower Manhattan building to evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches. The Agency will also study the presence of a list of substances associated with the World Trade Center collapse in residences outside of the impacted area to determine pre-existing levels of these materials.

We do have the results of a study done by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Control (ATSDR) and the NYC Department of Health (NYCDOH). This study tested the air inside residences that were cleaned using the recommended methods. None of this air testing found asbestos above the standard used to clear students for re-entry into schools after an asbestos removal. In a number of the residences, dust samples showed that some low levels of asbestos remained. This is why we continue to recommend ongoing cleaning and why EPA is offering this cleanup and testing program.

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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 health situation in lower Manhattan. For most of the World Trade Center related compounds, exposure must occur at elevated levels over a long period of time to present a long-term health risk. That is true for asbestos, for which health effects 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 believe that the risk of getting sick from exposure to asbestos from the WTC collapse is 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 1 think people ought to be terrorized by ..."

The cleanups and testing that EPA and the city are now offering will help reduce any further exposures. In the meantime, EPA will continue to evaluate and confirm the effectiveness of cleanup techniques and determine whether there are compounds other than asbestos that may pose potential risks in the long term.

How high is the risk from exposure to asbestos, fiberglass and other hazardous materials in my lower Manhattan home? Independent health experts have characterized the risks from developing asbestos-related diseases as very low. The ATSDR/NYCDOH study did not find asbestos present in the air in any of the residences they tested. However, the presence of asbestos and fibrous glass in the dust in some tested residences raises the possibility that this material could be redistributed in the indoor air. While EPA does not believe that residents are currently facing significant health risks from World Trade Center dust in indoor spaces, we do think that the best way to reduce this risk even further is to remove residual dust from people's homes.

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Testing

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