NYC-WTC_000204914

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

t^trice^Armstrong - Bldg27.wpd Page 1 j

too Jolin Street: Bldg 27

Dear Resident, address 5 Titis letter is to infonn you of the results of asbestos sampling that was recently conducted in and around your building. The New York City Department of Health (DOH), with the assistance of the U.S. Public Health Service Agency for To.vic Substances and Disease Registty’ (ATSDR) and the U.S. Enviromnental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted environmental sampling to assess potential health risks to lower Manhattan residents who may be e.xposed to dust and debris associated with the World Trade Center collapse. The sampling will provide information on the effectiveness of various clean-up strategies and a representative picture of residential environments to be used to guide public health actions, if warranted. Your building was one of 30 tested in the Lower Manhattan area, and 4 tested above 59“' Street for comparison purposes.

Four different areas of your building were sampled: first floor common areas, an outdoor balcony I and the inside of two private residences. The indoor areas had reportedly been cleaned since the World Trade Center collapse by the buildings maintenance personnel. Settled dust and air samples were collected from each area. Air samples were collected using vacuum pumps to draw air past a filter that was suspended at the height if a person’s breathing zone. Dust sampling was perfonned by collecting visible material and placing it in a container or collecting surface material on a filter by vacuuming. The collected material was weighed, viewed under a microscope, and/or chemically processed to detennine the types and quantities of substances present. The materials were analyzed for fibers such as asbestos, fiberglass, synthetics, and cellulose, and for silica, calcite and other small particles. This letter conveys and explains the results of the asbestos sampling. You will be receiving the results of the other substances tested in the near future.

Tlie attached table displays the settled dust asbestos results for yoin building. Each sample was examined by two different laboratory' methods for asbestos fibers. Low levels of asbestos (less than one percent) were found in the dust from the first floor lounge, one of the residence and its outdoor balcony. No asbestos was detected in the settled dust sample from the second residence. For comparison, the settled dust samples collected at homes above 59“‘ Street did not detect any asbestos by either laboratory method. The asbestos fibers in settled dust may become airborne if disturbed by activities such as sweeping and vacuuming.

Since asbestos poses a potential health concern if it is in the air, air samples were taken at four sampling locations in your building. All samples were taken during normal daily activity. All air samples were examined in the laboratorv' for fibers of a certain size and shape. In addition to asbestos, other types of fibers that could have been detected in tins analysis include wool, fiberglass, synthetics, and cellulose. Our analysis below assumes all fibers present were asbestos, in order to be most protective of your health.

No fibers were detected in any of the air samples, finding less than 0.001 fibers/cubic centimeter (fZcc). Wlien compared against the NYC re-occupancy standard for asbestos in community and residential buildings, all four samples were below the standard of 0.01 fibers/cubic centimeter I

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CITY_21MC100_008986990

NYC-WTC_000204914