Q&A and FAQ regarding WTC response, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS IN WORLD TRADE CENTER STUDY TO DETERMINE PRE-9/11 POLLUTION LEVELS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs your help in its continuing response to environmental concerns raised by the attack on the World Trade Center (WTC). To better assess the impacts of possible contamination from WTC dust, the Agency needs to learn what levels of pollution existed prior to September 11. To do that, EPA needs to test the dust and indoor air in apartment buildings that were not directly affected by the collapse.

EPA will soon begin cleaning and testing residential dwellings in lower Manhattan that were impacted by the collapse of the World Trade Center. In order to establish pre-existing or background levels of pollution, EPA will sample 28 residential units and 14 common areas within buildings located north of 59* Street.

Your building has been identified as an ideal candidate for the background study due to the building type (which is typical of housing in lower Manhattan) and its location well north of the WTC site. By volunteering to have your home sampled for pollutants, you can help fellow New Yorkers while receiving useful and interesting information about your home environment.

Background samples will be taken from two residential units and from the common areas in your building, such as the lobby, hallways and/or stairwells. Background samples are defined as samples taken from apartments and common areas that compare in layout to impacted locations near the WTC collapse. The background sampling results will be compared to data from buildings near the WTC Center collapse. The sampling for EPA’s background study will be conducted by licensed contractors with direct EPA oversight.

In order to participate in the background study, EPA requests that you or your authorized representative:

/ Agree to participate for a one-time, one-day, nine-hour period between on or about July 29 through August 16, 2002, from Monday through Friday (limited number of Saturdays available). EPA will schedule a time that is convenient;

z Allow small, low-suction air pumps to run continuously in your residential unit, or for building volunteers, in the common areas of the building, for a period of eight hours;

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