Letter from EPA official to a Congressional representative criticizing the adequacy of the 114 Liberty Street cleanup.
NYC-WTC_000155264–000155285Folder label: “114 LIBERTY 2 OF 2”
OCR status: ok · source: pdftotext
NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
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Liberty St. cleaning studyThe microvacuum method, ASTM Method 5755 is only suitable for fi-eshly deposited dust layers that have not be touched by wet wiping, washing, etc. This is because water and detergents will temporarily bind residual dust-bome contaminants to the surface so that they will not be picked up by the dry vacuuming technique used in the ASTM microvacuum method. As discussed in my 12/19/01 memorandum,^ wipe testing has been demonstrated to pick up 4 times or more asbestos from smooth surfaces compared to microvacuum sampling.
EPA/NYCDEP failed to abate visible dust at 114 Liberty St. On 8/4/03, EPA/NYCDEP jointly wrote to FEMA to defend the adequacy of its cleaning efforts at 114 Liberty St. This defense was in response to your inquiry on behalf of the residents at this address. EPA/NYCDEP stated the following: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are in receipt of the analytical test resuite supplied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by residents of 114 Liberty Street via Congressman Jerrold Nadler’s office. ... As explain^ below we believe that the extensive data collected by DEP and its contractors to clear this building are valid.
DEP developed the scope of work ... sampling was done for the contaminants of potential concern following EPA protocols established specifically for EPA's WTC Residential Confirmation Cleaning Study. The analytical results were compared to health-based benchmarks established by EPA's Interagency Indoor Air Task Force. The contaminants of potential concern included: asbestos, lead, dioxin, PAHs (Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons), fibrous glass and crystalline silica.
The clean-up started on March 6,2003 and was completed on March 29,2003. The test results were reviewed and indicated that all the primary clearance levels were achieved.
As discussed in greater detail below, EPA/NYCDEP did not clean up 114 Liberty St. according to the EPA specifications in regard to either visible dust, asbestos, or silica.
EPA/NYCDEP left clearly visible dust in readily accessible areas
EPA was incorrect in its 4/24/03 letter asserting that the clean-up at 114 Liberty St. met the requirements: This is to confirm, the Department of Environmental Protection has completed the clean up activities as per the clean up and monitoring specifications and access agreements for 114 Liberty St.
The EPA Statement of Work requires the contractor to re-clean if there is any visible dust: After the removal of debris, all surfaces will be cleaned in accordance with the procedures specified in Scope A. After all surfaces have been cleaned, a second
NYC-WTC_000155267
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NYC-WTC_000154976
Correspondence criticizing the EPA and DEP regarding asbestos, silica levels, and safety clearance after cleaning at 114 Liberty Street.
29 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 1.000
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000155286
Formal letter criticizing the EPA and DEP for alleged failures in cleaning asbestos and silica from 114 Liberty Street.
14 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.979
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000154652
Internal tracking document for managing reports, comments, and actions related to environmental compliance cases.
11 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · Same agency, volume and box · similarity 0.967
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000125845
Draft fact sheet from DOH and DEP addressing tenant concerns regarding asbestos fibers at 105 Duane Street.
18 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.973
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000140235
Memorandum comparing asbestos data in Manhattan to other sites and arguing for cleanup under the Superfund statute.
15 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.967
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000161674
Document excerpt listing counsel and staff members assigned to a paper on infrastructure related to World Trade Center recovery.
17 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.965
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000148115
Frequently asked questions and updates regarding disaster assistance, road reopenings, and victim support funds issued in October 2001.
21 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.962
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000145345
Notice from NYC Law Department instructing staff to preserve World Trade Center documents for potential legal actions.
21 shared non-person entities · similarity 0.961
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000148952
Table listing volatile organic compound (VOC) sampling sites and dates outside of Ground Zero from September 2001 to January 2002.
23 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.960
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000145510
Notice from NYC Law Department instructing staff to preserve World Trade Center documents for potential legal actions.
21 shared non-person entities · similarity 0.960
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000145687
EPA report excerpt discussing the cessation of outdoor air monitoring in June 2002 and ongoing concerns about indoor contamination.
11 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.960
machine-extracted · confidence unavailable · Check page ↗NYC-WTC_000140138
EPA memorandum addressing World Trade Center asbestos contamination status and agency efforts to provide information on the situation.
11 shared non-person entities · 1 shared topics · similarity 0.960
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NYC-WTC_000005240
Fragmented document header from the GCMS series dated between February and March 2002.
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NYC-WTC_000052778
Fragmented page from a Department of Environmental Protection laboratory record dated February 2002.
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NYC-WTC_000079949
Laboratory sequence log detailing the processing order and parameters for multiple environmental samples analyzed in late September 2001.
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Raw laboratory sequence file listing pesticide compounds and calibration standards processed in late 2001.
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NYC-WTC_000125845
Draft fact sheet from DOH and DEP addressing tenant concerns regarding asbestos fibers at 105 Duane Street.
Cited alongside this record in an Ask answer