66 JOHN 59 MAIDEN LANE

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

April 22, 2003 Department of ECB Safety Committee En^ronmental C/0 R. Potasznik Protection 66 John Street 59-17 (unction Boulevard New York, New York 10038 Flushing, New York 11373-5108 Re: New York City Department of Environmental (DEP)/Environmental Control Board (ECB) Offices at 66 John Street, Manhattan Christopher O. Ward Commissioner Dear ECB Safety Committee:

I am writing in response to your correspondence dated April 9,2003. I consider the safety of our employees to be a matter of the highest priority, and I appreciate your taking the time to share your concerns with me. I have spoken. with appropriate staff within DEP's Bureau of Environmental Compliance (BEC), and have been advised as follows: As a result of concerns by ECB staff working at 66 John Street, BEC's Asbestos Control Program (ACP) and the Office of Environmental, Health and Safety Compliance (OEHSC) were contacted. OEHSC provided ACP with the results of a carpet sonication sample which was provided by your Committee. Carpet sonication is not a New York State Department of Health approved method for the collection and analysis of suspected asbestos-containing materials. Further, this sampling method has not been adopted as a Federal, State, or local standard.

ACP staff advises that, in general, asbestos fibers do not pose a health hazard unless the fibers become airborne. A single direct relationship between asbestos-containing dust and potential human exposure has not been established in the scientific literature. A direct relationship between dust levels and exposure has been documented for other contaminants (such as lead). This relationship has not been documented for asbestos fibers probably due to the unique aerodynamic properties of the fibers.

After September 11, 2001, the ACP responded to calls from concerned building occupants at 66 John Street and reviewed bulk sample results provided by the building owner. Site visits did not disclose the presence of visible debris within the interior of the building. According to the information in the ACP files, air samples were collected within the building on September 14th, 15th, and 16th, 2001. The samples were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy (PCM) and were below 0.01 f/cc (the clearance standard). Ten bulk samples were collected from the exterior surfaces during early July 2002. The results indicated the debris was not asbestos-containing material. Nine additional samples were collected on November 1, 2002. The analytical results indicated the samples were not

TbSPl asbestos-containing material.

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