125 Cedar Street DEP article review, Dec 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

NYC DEP COMPLETES CLEANUP OF RESIDENCE CLOSEST TO GROUND ZERO

Less than 300 feet from where the south tower of the World Trade Center once stood is an apartment building, at 125 Cedar Street, that is home to an eclectic, tightly knit group of Downtown pioneers. On September 11, 2001, their homes and their community were shattered when the building suffered extensive structural and interior damage. Since then, the residents have been displaced to other parts of New York. But thanks to the collaborative efforts of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP), the building’s tenants and owner, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office, 125 Cedar- the residential building closest to ground zero - has been completely and thoroughly cleaned, paving the way for the residents’ return.

Pat Moore, who lives with her husband in a third-floor apartment in the building, can attest to the terrible impact of that horrific day. Her apartment was filled with one-and-a-half tons of debris - blown-in windows, large boulders, receipts from Windows on the World, even a computer that had flown in from a tower office. Thick, white dust coated every visible surface, from door hinges to cable TV wires to the tops of light switches.

“We were the worst hit building in the entire city - every single square inch of our apartment was covered in World Trade Center dust,” said Moore, a fashion and jewelry designer who has lived in the 24-unit building since 1977 and is a liaison between residents of 125 Cedar and cleanup officials. “The NYC DEP did a fantastic job of cleaning up this building.”

Wearing protective gear, NYC DEP inspectors walked each tenant through his or her apartment. They identified problem-areas that needed to be cleaned, and determined which belongings needed to be discarded.

“We worked diligently with the Tenant’s Association, Speaker Sheldon’s office, and the building owner to ensure our cleanup efforts alleviated any safety concerns and made people feel comfortable about moving back to their homes,” said Robert Avaltroni, Deputy Commissioner of the NYC DEP.

During the three-week cleaning process, DEP employed the same techniques they had initially recommended to all Downtown residents: wet-wiping surfaces and using a HEPA- filter vacuum to remove airborne particles. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tested for an array of toxic contaminants, including asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxin, lead, mercury, fibrous glass, and silica, while the Department of Health examined the apartments for mold.

The result of their work is a clean bill of health for the building. The EPA report stated, “for asbestos, the data we received indicates that asbestos is not a hazard at 125 Cedar Street.” The same conclusion was drawn for all of the other analyzed chemicals.

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