Q&A and FAQ regarding WTC response, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

A May 7,2002 (11:58am) Q and A’s For WTC Comprehensive Plan

1) Does the fact that EPA is willing to clean apartments mean that you are not confident in the cleaning recommendations to use wet wipes/mops and HEPA vacs? We remain confident the cleanup methods recommended for residents with minimal dust - wet wiping, wet moping and use of HEPA vacuums. EPA has recommended that residential areas where there was-significant accumulation of dust/debris should use professional certified cleanup contractors. The Agency also recommend that all residential and commercial spaces that have been cleaned, especially those with significant impact fi-om dust/debris fi-om the collapse, repeat cleaning using wet mops, wet wipes and HEPA vacuums.

Porous surfaces, like carpets and drapes, may still contain some dust material that might get re­ entrained in the air. Exposure occurs when the materials are in the air and inhaled, and these methods greatly reduce the chance of the substances getting into the air. EPA’s pilot testing and background studies will yield more information on this 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 though, dust samples showed that some asbestos remained. This is why we say keep cleaning with these methods.

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? No, it isn’t too late. 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. For asbestos, which is a significant concern, this is what the research says. 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 fi-om exposure to asbestos fi-om 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....”

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 whether there are compounds other than asbestos that may pose potential risk in the long term.

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