DEP Invoice or Financial Record, September 30, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

for Health and Safety and “The original plans for the Concern for the neahh of the AFL-CIO New York City World Trade Center called those working ai the site Central Labor Council have for the use of 5,000 tons of should be an increasing pri­ also reported receiving a asbestos foam insulation,” ority, he argued. “This is es­ large volume of questions said Jonathan Bennett, a sential and very doabic,” he from workers and their spokesman for the indepen­ said. “We are, union onately, unions about safety and dent health and safety orga­ getting past the point where health hazards stemming nization. “They used it up to we’re going to be pulling live from the disaster, partic­ the 40th floor of the north people out of there, and there ularly contaminated air. tower and the 15th floor of is not the need to expose peo­ Bill Henning, who chairs the south tower, so probably ple to these kind of dangers.” NYCOSH and is the vice at least 1,000 tons were The NYCOSH fact sheet president of Communications sprayed on.” In addition, he on health and safety con­ Workers of America Local said, other asbestos would cerns stemming from the 1180, said that the organiza­ have been used in wrapping World Trade Center disaster tion has issued a detailed fact pipes all the way up to the can be downloaded from the sheet counseling workers on top of the two structures. organization’s Web site at what must be done to avoid ’“It doesn’t bum up and it www.nycosh.org. exposure to airborne dust and doesn’t dissolve in the rain,” contaminants both at the res­ said Mr, Bennett. He noted cue site and in surrounding that the levels of asbestos in buildings. the air in the area surround­ ing the demolished buildings ‘Want Filters Changed’ were high, adding that “there are no mown safe levels of One key recommendation exposure to asbestos.” is that the dust never be swept or handled when it is NYCOSH Takes Look dry', and that vacuum clean­ ers be used only if they are NYCOSH has sent its own industrial hygienists to the 4 I. equipped with high-efficien- cy filters. Otherwise, clean­ disaster site to evaluate con­ ditions in the area. David '“I ing merely causes settled dust to again become air­ borne, posing a threat to Neumann, one of the hygi­ enists, said that the organi­ ©■

t .tea I A ■' zation has taken its own air those who breathe it. "We’re also calling for all samples, but is still waiting r^': for results, air-conditioning filters and “Clearly there is asbestos HVAC systems to be in this area,” he said, "The changed,” he said. The city’s EPA and OSHA have done unions usually meet with samples and said that they representatives of the City­ are not at levels of concern, wide Office of Safety and but they haven’t defined Health, a division of the De­ what that means. The poten­ partment of Citywide Ad­ tial for damage is probably ministrative Services, on low for most people, but the major concerns. “There are inhalation of as little as one so many things going on, we asbestos fiber has the possi­ have not been able to get to­ bility of triggering a cata­ gether yet,” the CWA leader strophic illness,” said. “We are worried about Breathing what he called asbestos and about a lot of "nuisance dust” also has the other things.” potential of causing illness, particularly among people High Asbestos Content with pre-existing heart or lung problems. ; NYCOSH has disputed the i claims by the city’s Health Not Careful Enough The Fabiaae I Department and the U.S. UNHEALTHY ATMOSPHERE; Police Academy rookies stationed near Ground Zero Environmental Protection Mr. Neumann said that it take necessary precautions by donning masks to preset their lungs ag^nst the Agency that the dust and ash appeared that there had noxious chemicals released in the air around the World ’lYade Center by the plane that has blanketed the area been a marked increase in crashes and the fires and building collapses that resulted. pose no danger. Members of the use of respirators among the EPA’s Environmental Re­ rescue workers late last sponse Team acknowledged week. "Still many, many peo­ last week that they had de­ ple are not using them,* he tected asbestos contamina­ added. "And many of them tion levels that slightly ex­ are using inappropriate res­ ceeded safety standards set pirators or ones that are not by the U.S. Occupational properly fitted. They haven’t Safety and Health Admin­ been trained to use them istration. properly,”

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