NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
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Summary of Asbestos Sampling Results
225 Rector Place, New York, NY 10280
Date sampled: November 16,2001
Four locations were sampled at your building: inside two private residences, an indoor hallway,
and a nearby outdoor area (see tables below for sampling results). Air samples were collected in
each of the four locations by using vacuum pumps to draw air past a filter that was suspended at
the height of a person’s breathing level.
One settled dust sample was collected at each of the indoor locations. Indoor dust and debris
samples were collected on a filter by vacuuming surfaces. Outdoor dust samples were collected
only when there was visible dust and debris to obtain bulk material. No dust was available for
bulk sampling outside of your building.
The collected material was weighed, viewed under a microscope, and/or chemically processed to
determine the types and quantities of substances present. The materials are being analyzed for
fibers such as asbestos, fiberglass, synthetics (e.g. man-made materials such as nylon and
polyester), cellulose (e.g. cotton, paper), silica, and for other minerals and small particles.
ASBESTOS AIR TEST RESULTS
The air samples tested from directly outside and in the hallway of your building were taken
during normal daily activity. The two air samples were taken from the unoccupied apartments
after the dust in the apartments was aggressively “stirred up” to ensure that an accurate sample of
particles would be present. Both the hallway and the apartments had been cleaned since
September 11* All air samples were examined in a laboratory for fibers using the Phase
Contrast Microscopy (PCM) method.
Results of all of the air samples taken from your building were within the standard set for indoor
air quality - 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc) (see tables below). The highest level of fibers
in the air at your building was 0.002 f/cc, found in an unoccupied residence. All of the air levels
sampled in your building are similar to the air results from buildings located above 59“* Street,
which are not expected to have been impacted by WTC materials. In the homes above 59*
Street, levels of fibers found in the air ranged from less than 0.001 f/cc to 0.003 f/cc.
Airborne fibers as determined by PCM analysis: An air sample is collected by pulling air
through a filter. The filter catches fibers and is sent to a laboratory to determine the number of
fibers in the air. Phase contrast microscopy identifies fibers based on size and shape, but not the
specific type of fiber. Therefore, the fibers seen by PCM include asbestos fibers as well as other
fibers, such as textiles, fiberglass, cellulose, which might be present in your home. The PCM
analysis assumes that all fibers present were asbestos. Therefore, less hazardous fibers that may
have been present, such as textiles or fiberglass, are counted along with the asbestos fibers, and
the total fiber count is then compared to the asbestos standard. If the results were above 0.003
CONFIDENTIAL, CITY_2IMCl00_003423634
SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER NO. 2, SEPT. 2008
NYC-WTC_000176134
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