NYC-WTC_000153058

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Cleaning Instructions

Initially, EPA deferred to New York City to provide guidance for cleaning indoor spaces. EPA was prepared to include recommendations in its press releases that residents obtain professional cleaning of their residences. The absence of instructions recommending that residents obtain professional cleaning in the initial weeks following the disaster may have increased the long-term health risks for those persons who cleaned WTC dust contaminated indoor spaces without using respirators and other professional cleaning equipment.

EPA’s web site and press releases deferred to the NYCDOH guidance even though EPA’s position on indoor cleaning was different than the City’s. EPA’s basis for deferring to New York City was summarized by the testimony of the Region 2 Administrator before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on February 11, 2002. The Administrator was asked if the NYCDOH provided adequate cleanup directions to residents. The EPA Region 2 Administrator answered as follows:

Consistent with their responsibilityfor the indoor environment, the City DOH, working with A TSDR and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took the lead on the development and dissemination ofpublic health recommendations related to building cleanups. DOH statements emphasizing wet wiping, moping and use of HEPA vacuums were reasonable. EPA’s advice has been more conservative and suggested that people encountering more than minimal amounts of dust should consider this as a “worst case ’’ and likely to be contaminated with asbestos. Under these circumstances, they should hire a certified asbestos cleanup contractor. ..

Asbestos medical experts we consulted agreed that professional cleaning was preferred for the asbestos contamination levels found, but at a minimum if the public was to clean residences themselves, they should have been instructed to wear respirators. However, a study by NYCDOH found that most residents did not follow the City’s recommended cleaning practices. Although not specifically mentioned in the study, this conclusion would suggest that these residents did not obtain professional asbestos abatement contractors to clean their residences. The increased risk that residents placed themselves in by cleaning residences themselves is not known.

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