NYC-WTC_000232959

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

On Febi-uaiy 4, 2002, NYC DOHMH and ATSDR provided the public with the preliminaiy findings (asbestos air and dust and synthetic vitreous fibers dust sampling results) of the limited residential sampling investigation conducted in November and December of 2001. Various public meetings were conducted to provide the public with the most relevant information.

On February 13, 2002, EPA formed the Indoor Air Task Force to help address the remaining indoor air quality issues in lower Manhattan.

On March 8, 2002, New York City created the lower Manhattan Air Quality Task Force.

On May 8, 2002, EPA and its federal, state, and city partners announced a comprehensive plan to ensure that residences impacted by the collapse of the World Trade Center have been properly cleaned.

On June 1, 2002, lower Manhattan residents concerned about possible World Trade Center-related dust in their residential areas could begin to request cleaning and/or testing from EPA by logging on to the agency's World Trade Center Web page at www.epa.gov/wtc or by calling the EPA hotline at 1-877-796-5471.

B, Public Health Actions Planned

During the summer of 2002, EPA and its federal, state, and city partners will conduct additional sampling of settled surface dust and air of residential areas not impacted by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The purpose of this investigation is to better define the New York City-specific background levels of asbestos, synthetic vitreous fibers, and quartz. Mineral components of concrete (calcite and portlandite) and mineral components of building wallboard (gypsum, mica, and halite) will also be investigated.

During the summer of 2002, EPA and its federal, state, and city partners will conduct an investigation to determine the effectiveness of various cleaning methods to remove World Trade Center-related material.

In late summer/early fall 2002, EPA will begin to conduct cleaning and/or testing of residential areas requested by lower Manhattan residents.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will establish a unified World Trade Center Exposure Registry of people who may have been exposed to harmful substances resulting from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will continue to work with other federal, state, and local agencies to provide information on the sampling results to the citizens of New York and to help interpret the possible health effects of contaminants found.

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