DEP Invoice or Financial Record, September 30, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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Workers stand next to cars crushed during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

erated and sent to the medical ex^ stroyed the integrity of a lot of the problem becomes more evi­ aminer’s office in Manhattan for materials, so less of it can be sal­ dent. testing. Personal effects are pre­ vaged. For example, some metals Environmental monitoring at served and will eventually be re­ may have fused together, making the site has found no increase in turned to family members of the it much harder to recycle them, he pollutant levels above federal dehd. Other materials, such as the said. clean air and clean water stan­ large metal girders, will be carted Finally, the huge amount of ma­ dards. Asbestos readings have off-and recycled, he said. terial that must be dealt with,— been extremely low, officials and health experts say, and are not ex­ John Skinner, executive director along with the fact that it can’t be pected to cause lung disease or of the Solid Waste Association of disposed of right away — makes other serious health problems. North America, said the effort at the task even more difficult. Fresh Kills resembles the cleanup There were no X-ray centers, According to the Port Authority medical facilities or medical sup­ after an earthquake, with a couple of New York and New Jersey, the ply companies in the World Trade of notable differences. two towers of the World Trade Center, said city Health Depart­ The key distinction is that every Center alone included 200,000 tons ment spokeswoman Sandra Mul­ bit of rubble from lower Manhat­ of steel, 425,000 cubic yards of con­ lin, so “we have not seen any radi- crete and 600,000 square feet of tan must be scoured for evidence, glass. They held 12 million square a painstaking process that could feet of office space. There was significantly delay its disposal. room for 2,000 cars in an under­ ground parking facility. Each And most demolitions of large tower held 99 elevators. buildings do sot involve high-in- Add to this the contents of the tensity fires, said Skinner. The ex­ tremely hot fires in the World Trade Center towers probably de- offices and stores and the other af­ fected buildings, and the scope of Page NYC-WTC_000152357