Vehicle cleaning protocols draft, DOH, February 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

NYC Health THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT of HEALTH DRAFT Technical note: City, state and federal agencies have collected thousands of samples of the air and the debris in and around the site of the WTC disaster. The results indicate that, for people working outside Ground Zero, the risk of exposure to harmful substances is very low. For instance, as of January 24*, out of over 5,000 asbestos air samples collected by the EPA, only 31 (.6%) showed levels above the AHERA standard for clean air in schools. Of these, 27 were collected prior to September 30. In addition, several city agencies have collected data inside vehicles that were heavily impacted by dust and debris following the WTC collapse. The majority of samples were non-detectable for asbestos and only a handful were above the AHERA clean air standard. None of the samples collected within cleaned vehicles approached the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of air.

Information For Agencies Additional Cleaning for City Vehicles Involved in the WTC Response

The following recommendations were developed at the request of several city agencies. They include aggressive inspection and cleaning procedures beyond those outlined in the DOH/AAA document entitled “Information For Motorists, Cars Exposed to Dust and Debris,” dated September 30, 2001. Depending on many factors (including vehicle hygiene and level of employee concern) agencies may choose to complete one or more of these more aggressive measures to provide an extra-protective level of assurance for city workers operating vehicles that were involved in the WTC response. 1. Complete procedures specified in the DOH/AAA document entitled “Information For Motorists, Cars Exposed to Dust and Debris,” dated September 30,2001. (Attached)

2. Using a high-intensity shop light and all necessary tools, complete a full visual inspection of the vehicle interior, undercarriage and engine compartment. Inspect within and behind as many vehicle, engine and equipment surfaces as practicable, including, but not limited to, the following:

a) Force open interior door panels, inspect behind dashboard, lights, above ceiling liner, within duct compartments, engine crevices, equipment bays, and ashtrays.

b) Using light hammer or other blunt instrument, strike interior door panels, sun visors, ceiling panels or liners, and watch for dislodged dust.

c) Dismantle and remove interior paneling and seats as necessary to access interior spaces of the vehicle.

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