New York Times article on EPA to lead cleanup effort,

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document витінанний 1tilr шиаппииин! НІНПНІНПНІЕ FR: THE AFTERMATH Asbestos fallout is found in co-op near WTC site seven-story co-op building half a mile north of Anated viia noed lereita dl etono be coatami. Lnated with high levels of asbestos. EFEEE The bullding, at 150 Franki conduct extensive testing within 't. in Tribeca, has housed a fam ly-run child care center the bullding for One of the co-op tenants, how- years, and nelther the child care ever, said she was worried about center nor other tenants in the -environmental hazards. bullding evacuated their homes The dangers from asbestos, following the Sept. 11 attack on such as asbestosis, lung cancer the World Trade Center. Like many people who live and mesothelioma, show only after 15 or more years, and downtown, the building's ten- usually after long-term expo- ants simply cleaned up the dust in their apartments and tried to sure. return to normal. Calledfor help Not until mid-April - seven Ihe one tenant was worrie L enough that b months after the collapse of the mid-Apri twin towers - did the bullding's she asked Joel Kupferman of the co-op board discover the high as- New York Environmental Law bestos levels. •and Justice Profect to come to "Yes, there is an asbestos prob- 150 Frankiin and collect dust lem in the building," said Jim samples. Stratton, a member of the board Kupferman sent three sam- and the Democratic District lead- ples to a laboratory. The lab re- er for Tribeca. sults showed leveis of i.2%, *But the whole asbestos prob- 1.4% and 1.8% asbestos. He im- lem downtown was essentialy mediately notified the EPA and hidden by EPA the city's Department of Envi- and the city, ronmental Pro- which kept as- tection, those and agencies suring us the air was safe." Tests in mid- April by the En- JUAN GONZALEZ analyzed new samples on April 18. vironmental Pro- The DEP, us- tection Agency ing a crude ana- detectedasbes- lytical method levels 2% called polarized and higher in dust sam-les. Two light microscopy, detected no as- of those were on the roof of the bestos. But EPA scientists, using bullding and two on the inside a more sophisticated method window ledges of an elevator called transmission electron mi- shaft. croscopy, found even higher lev- Any test results above 1% as- els, from 2% to 5% asbestos. bestos are considered hazard- "We recommended that it be ous by the pPA and require im- professtonally cleaned," said mediate asbestos removal by cer- EPA spokesperson Mary Mears. tified contractors. According to several political Toddier center safe and community leaders, 150 Franklin may not be an isolated tratton, whose wile operati the Treehouse toddler cent case. "For almost eight months now out of the couple's apartment, in- people in lower Manhattan who sisted that "the children have who took the word of the EPA not been exposed to anything, havebeen living in conditions because no asbestos was found inside the toddler center. that are potentially hazardous to their health," said Rep.Jerrold The building's elevator, like Nadler (D-Manhattan) through many in the former warehouse a spokesman yesterday. buildings that dot Tribeca, has an iron gate instead of a solid Nadler has been demanding door, and its shaft has windows for months that EPA test and that face the street. cleanup the indoor spaces in ev- Since several of the shaft's ery building near Ground Zero. 150 148 г windows were broken on Sept. EPA Administrator Christie 11, dust from the trade center Whitman announced a plan re- collapse may have easily pene- cently to assist the city in clean- trated the elevator area, Stratton ing the facades and roots of conceded. bulldings downtown, and her ADREW SAVULICH DANLY NEWS •..- At the time, according to Strat- . aides now say they are consider- DUST PERIL co-op bulking at 160 Franklin St. in Trbece, -ton, the co-op board believed ing what te do about indoor le menh waie thtep seu eht acare eentey, he trage of eperte the assurances from EPA and spaces. eansy püldeasn ealyzee bris RHREO RS FATB RRNEMBH DAILY NEWS Thursday, May 2, 2002 NYC-WTC_000151985