DOHMH report on mold and water damage at 125 Cedar

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

The City of New York

B DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Michael R. Bloomberg . Mayor Thomas R. Frieden, m.d.. m.p.h.

n7c.gov/health Corrmlssioner

125 Cedar Street

Introduction

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) conducted a walkthrough inspection for the presence of mold at 125 Cedar Street (120 Liberty Street) on July 19,2002. 125 Cedar Street is located adjacent to the southern boarder of the World Trade Center site. It is a twelve-story building. Each floor is split into a north and south apartment. A penthouse is located on top of the building. The building was reported to have mold growth resulting from water damage from several sources that primarily impacted the apartments on the north side. Most of the water damage reportedly occurred as a result of internal plumbing problems (i.e. broken pipes and a broken toilet tank). Some water infiltration was reported through windows broken as a result of the collapse of the Twin Towers. Five water-damaged apartments were inspected. Tenants from two of the inspected apartments, the building superintendent, Bob Bacar, and EPA Representative, Bob Fitzpatrick, accompanied DOHMH.

Discussion and Findings

The ceilings in all of the apartments consisted of painted plaster. Dividing walls in each apartment were composed of % inch sheetrock. The following is a discussion of each of the five inspected apartments:

Apartment 3N - Peeling paint was observed on much of the ceiling throughout the apartment. Extensive visible mold (greater than 100 square feet) was observed in the bedroom adjoining the entrance hallway. Visible mold was noted on several walls and the ceiling in this room. Small areas (less than 10 square feet) of mold growth were also noted on the entrance hallway ceiling and the ceiling in the workroom that is adjacent to the aforementioned bedroom.

Apartment 4N - Peeling paint was observed on much of the ceiling throughout the apartment. Some of the wood flooring was buckled. Moderate areas (10-30 square feet) of visible mold were observed in the hallway closet and children’s bedroom. A small area of mold was also noted on the hallway wall. Additionally, a cutout of the wallboard in the hallway revealed the presence of mold on the backside of wallboard in the children’s bedroom. The extent of this growth could not be determined.

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