DEP advisory to residents regarding WTC dust, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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The City of New York DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Rudolph W. Giuliani Neal L. Cohen, m.d. Mayor Commissioner

nyc.gov/health Health & Safety Precautions for Rescue Workers

Cover all body surfaces. This includes wearing: • Coveralls • Gloves • Goggles • Water-impermeable footwear

Use respiratory protection and make sure someone checks the fit of the mask. A respirator that does not fit correctly provides no protection (* see footnote below). • Do not eat, drink, or smoke before properly removing respirator and gloves AND washing your hands.

v' Avoid dehydration: Drink enough fluids so that you are urinating every 4 hours. Don’t wait until you are thirsty.

Follow decontamination instructions AND wash your hands before eating or smoking.

Follow decontamination instructions AND wash your hands before (and after) using the toilet.

v' Leave the site immediately and go to first aid station if you: • develop signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke: if you feel cold and sweaty, are overheated, have an irregular or fast heart rate, are nauseous, or become confused • have chest pain • are short of breath or have difficulty breathing • become physically or emotionally exhausted • are bleeding or if someone bleeds on you • if blood, body fluids or tissues contact your eyes, mouth, nose, or any non-intact skin • and when you need to change clothing

Before going home, remove contaminated clothing and wipe your footwear. Don*t bring your contamination home with you!

When you get home, remove clothes immediately and place in a plastic bag until washing. Launder twice-- separately from other laundry. Wash off shoes and other items, then throw the sponge away in a plastic bag.

* Checking the fit requires, at a minimum, a negative pressure test and a positive pressure test. For a cartridge respirator, check the negative pressure by covering the cartridges fully with your bare hands. Suck air in using your lungs. You should feel a tight suction around the seal of the respirator. For a positive pressure test, cover the exhalation valve fully and blow out. You should feel the respirator puff out without air escaping fi-om the seal. If either test fails, try adjusting the tightness of the strap or select a different size respirator.

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