EPA response on WTC dust cleanup program, Mar 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

• UNITEb STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGEl

w A "'q REGION 2 290 BROADWAY NEW YORK, NY 10^07-1866 j '

MAR - 6 OT Joel Shufro, Executive Director NY Committee for Occupational Safety and Health 275 Eight Avenue - 8"’ Floor New York, NY 10001- 6708

Dear Mr. Shufro:

I am writing in response to your letter of January 21, 2003 concerning the Environmental' •" Protection Agency’s (EPA) Indoor Air Residential Assistance Program that the EPA is joi^^Jy conducting with the City of New York’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), using ' disaster funding provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In particular, you sought information about several aspects of the Program.

As you are aware our goal is to protect lower Manhattan residents from potential exposures to residual dust that may contain pollutants from the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) and to provide residents with information that will help them feel comfortable in their homes. EPA has received approximately 5,300 requests for cleaning and testing of apartments and an additional 1,241 requests for testing only. As you note in your letter, we have begun work on both categories of requests. To date, over 1,353 apartments have been cleaned and tested, and 392 have been tested. Testing of 1589 residences addressed either by testing alone or cleaning and testing have revealed results below the EPA clearance level (see Note 1, Enclosure 1). Seventeen residences had samples that exceeded the clearance level, and an additional fifty-five had results that could not be determined because of filter overload or other testing related problems (see Note 2, Enclosure 1).

One area you of specific concern to you is personal protective equipment (PPE) for cleanup workers. I note that all work performed under the Program is being performed in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to regulations issued by EPA, the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL), and DEP. The contract entered into by DEP for cleaning requires that only a NYSDOL-licensed asbestos contractor and only DEP- and NYSDOL-certified workers would be allowed to perform any of the cleaning activities under this contract. This requirement also applies to any subcontractors involved in the cleaning. The contract entered into by DEP for the project monitors (who are responsible for, among other things, overseeing the cleaning work and insuring that that work is satisfactorily completed) requires the use of experienced project monitors certified by New York State. I also note that we have worked with OSHA to assure that contractors meet OSHA regulatory requirements. For instance, pursuant to our discussions with OSHA, we have implemented personal air monitoring for a specified number of the cleaning employees (see Note 3, Enclosure 1).

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