CDC press conference notes regarding anthrax investigation, undated

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1^ o o o Oi WORST FOR. WAR. ■D c CT o' ■D

Air near Ground Zero O O 3- Oi BY THE NUMBERS O The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set an o o < exposure limit for asbestos at .1 fibers per cubic centimeter c 3 during any eight-hour period. The following measurements CD

is rated safe by feds were taken from Sept. 13 to 27:

i.kU. By PAUL HA SHIN al hygienist for the New York HOT ZONE DAlUr NEWS SIAfF WRITER Conunittee for Occupational upto The levels of cancer-causing asbestos and other safety arid Health, t^ con^- .14 material stiU lingering in the air in lower Manhattan J^ndem So“bSXf umon cubic centlmetcJC >0^ remain below limits considered a health risk, federal members working near Ground _ authorities said yesterday. Zera ~ iO But with hundreds of tons of And asbestos is not the only suits of its own monitoring last hazard, he saicL xr hazardous material still buried week. Using methods different “Even in the absence of toxic among the rubble of the World from OSHA, the EPA said asbes­ components, the dust poses res­ iii( Trade Center, experts cautioned tos levels at times spiked to near­ piratory hazards, particularly to til' workers at Ground Zero to keep ly twice the permissible limit, people with pre-existing respira- RNANCIAI, wearing respirators. but overall, cancer-causing as­ toiy' conditions such as asthr'a DISTRICT Air quality samples taken be­ tween Sept. 13-27 at the rubble bestos found in the air and dust , or blironchitis,” Newman said. at Ground Zero and surround- ' Meanwhile, the EPA conduct­ ki-, f pile’s so-called hot zone detect­ ing areas were mostly at low lev­ ed a whirlwind cleanup of Wash­ WARM ZONE ■jf

ed airborne asbestos and fiber­ upto < ni els. ington Market Park at Cham­ ,11 glass at levels that at one point .086 Can scar lungs bers and Greenwich Sts. after a ''ii * * topped .1 fibers per cubic centi­ meter — the safety limit set by . the federal Occupational Safety With prolonged exposure, as­ local community group conduct­ ed asbestos testing and found bestos fibers can scar lung tis­ levels at times twice the permis­ sue and eventually cause cancer. sible limit. The EPA hauled flbereper cubic centimeter V •••.■. 'I ’K I... 51 and Health Administration. Though a few weeks is not con­ away all the sand in the play- .a " "'I ■ But 90%-95% of those fibers Hot Zone Warm Zone Financial were found to be fiberglass and sidered enough to cause scar­ ground and even some top soil (mbMo pile) OSHA has District not asbestos. And samples ring, health experts warned that from surrounding area, said OSHA took 72 collected OSHA has taken taken outside the hot zone have the government limits do not Parks Commissioner Henry samples in the hot more than about 40 samples. shown levels that OSHA consid­ nec^sarily mean it is risk free. Stem. zone. 90% to 95% 150 samples It ceased ers well below permissible lev­ “It’s okay legally, but it’s not “It’s more as a precaution that of the fibers found in the Warm sampling in the els of exposure. necessarily okay medically be­ the sand was removed,” Stem were fiberglass rather Financial District Zone through The Environmental Protection cause there’s no known safe said. “When something like this than asbestos. Sept 24. on Sept. 21. Agency, which also is keeping level of exposure to asbestos,” happens, you want people to be tabs on air quality, released re- said David Newman, an industri- comfortable.”

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