E-mails R. Avaltroni 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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the amount of particulates and other things that would be present in the air, there is nothing there now that wasn't there Sept. 10."

The Environmental Protection Agency has monitored the air In and around Ground Zero, but is not responsible for indoor air quality. An agency spokeswoman echoed Longshore's comments that air quality has largely returned to its pre-Sept. 11 state. Still, the EPA hasn't decided if it will get involved with checking air or dust contamination in residential buildings.

"Certainly, some of the issues are whether more cleanup work needs to be done," EPA spokeswoman Mary Mears said. "Sampling and cleaning are things that are on the table, but we haven't made those decisions yet."

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which sets workplace air contamination standards, has examined 21 office buildings In the vicinity of Ground Zero and found contaminated dust inside, but few contaminants in recent air readings. The agency also has monitored the cleanup at 34 buildings around Ground Zero to ensure that contractors complied with federal standards for the removal of toxic substances.

"Our focus has been looking at levels of contaminants around the site of the World Trade Center," said Pat Clark, OSHA's regional administrator. "There is a risk from dust that has not been cleaned up. We aren't saying there is no risk left, but the air quality has gone back to what it was before Sept. 11. Unfortunately, we do have urban air pollution, and this Is not a pristine area."

Brian Buckley, executive director of the Environmental Occupational Health Science Institute at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said his organization analyzed the dust produced by the terrorist attack. He said the study completed in January showed that there were dangers posed by toxic chemicals and other harmless substances that were now small enough to be inhaled.

"We found a lot of glass fibers, not just from asbestos, but from the windows," Buckley said. "This was very similar to volcanic ash."

Buckley said the problem with the glass was that it was small enough to be Inhaled and stay in the lungs. In addition, he said, the dust had an acid level approaching drain cleaner, "and that's a definite irritant if you bring it into your lungs."

The effect of these Irritants surfaced quickly among the hundreds of rescue workers at Ground Zero. David Billing, a spokesman for the Fire Department of New York City, said there were currently 196 firefighters on medical leave and 219 on light duty, a direct result of their work at the World Trade Center site. Most of those firefighters, he said, suffer from respiratory injuries.

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