Asbestos sampling summary, 16 Chambers Street, December 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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Summary of Asbestos Sampling Results 16 Jay Street, New York, N.Y. 10013 Date sampled: December 1,2001

Four locations were sampled at your building: inside two private residences, the lobby area, 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, in the lobby of your building, and in the apartments were taken during normal daily activity. All air samples were examined in a laboratory for fibers using the Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) method.

Fibers were detected in three of the air samples. Only one of these (a level of 0.012 f/cc) was above the New York City re-occupancy standard (0.01 ficc) by PCM analysis. For comparison, in the homes above 59* Street, the level of fibers found in the air ranged from less than 0.001 ficc to 0.003 fZcc. Since the PCM air analysis includes non-asbestos fibers, the two highest samples were re-examined by a second laboratory method, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), to determine if any of those fibers were asbestos. No asbestos fibers were found in these two samples by TEM.

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, and 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 f/cc using the PCM methodology, as was found in one of the apartments in your building, additional analysis was performed to determine whether any of the fibers were asbestos.

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