EPA'S RESPONSE TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSE:  CHALLENGES, SUCCESSES, AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Notes:
[1] = Represents risk of non-cancer disease based on a 1-year continuous exposure at screening level. The hazard quotient represents the ratio of the potential exposure to the substance and the level at which no adverse health effects are expected. If the quotient is greater than 1, then adverse health effects are possible. For EPA's response, the screening level established equals a hazard quotient of 10.
[2] = Region 2 developed the screening level using EPA's "Hazard Evaluation Handbook: A Guide to Removal Actions," and toxicity criteria from EPA's Integrated Risk Information System database.
[3] = Represents a 1-in-10,000 increased lifetime risk of cancer based on a 1-year continuous exposure at the screening level.

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Appendix E

EPA Outdoor Air Asbestos Sampling for September 2001

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Notes:
[1] = Not analyzed due to filter overloading or other sampling problems.
[2] = No sample results reported for this method.
[3] = Results were 128 and 160 s/mm2.
[4] = Result was 90 s/mm2.
[5] = TEM results were reported in fibers per cubic centimeter. Results in s/mm2 not reported on daily summary sheet.
[6] = Result was 80 s/mm2.
[7] = Result was 88.89 s/mm2.
[8] = Results were 177. 78, 97.78, and 71.11 s/mm2.
[9] = Result was 80 s/mm2.

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Appendix F

EPA Outdoor Bulk Dust Asbestos Test Results for September 2001 [1]

1 = Excludes bulk testing at landfill.

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Appendix G

EPA September 16,2001 Press Release

September 16, 2001

EPA, OSHA Update Asbestos Data, Continue to Reassure Public about Contamination Fears [En Espanol]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Labor's Occupational Health and Safety Administration today announced that the majority of air and dust samples monitored at the crash site and in lower Manhattan do not indicate levels of concern for asbestos.  The new samples confirm previous reports that ambient air quality meets OSHA standards and consequently is not a cause for public concern. New OSHA data also indicates that indoor air quality in downtown buildings will meet standards.

EPA has found variable asbestos levels in bulk debris and dust on the ground, but EPA continues to believe that there is no significant health risk to the general public in the coming days. Appropriate steps are being taken to clean up this dust and debris.

"Our tests show that it is safe for New Yorkers to go back to work in New York's financial district," said John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA. "Keeping the streets clean and being careful not to track dust into buildings will help protect workers from remaining debris."

OSHA staff walked through New York's financial district on September 13th, wearing personal air monitors and collected data on potential asbestos exposure levels. All but two samples contained no asbestos. Two samples contained very low levels of an unknown fiber, which is still being analyzed,

Air Samples taken on Sept. 13th inside buildings in New York's financial district were negative for asbestos.  Debris samples collected outside buildings on cars and other surfaces contained small percentages of asbestos, ranging from 2.1 to 3.3 -- slightly above the 1 percent trigger for defining asbestos material.

"EPA will be deploying 16 vacuum trucks this weekend in an effort to remove as much of the dust and debris as possible from the site where the samples were obtained," said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. "In addition we will be moving six continuous air monitoring stations into the area. We will put five near ground zero and one on Canal Street. The good news continues to be that the air samples we have taken have all been at levels that cause us no concern."

The continuous monitoring stations will augment the ambient air quality monitoring located in Brooklyn. EPA and OSHA will remain on site and continue to monitor for levels of asbestos, PCBs, lead and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the area throughout the long weeks of cleanup ahead. In addition. EPA will move in a bus that has the equipment to do instant analysis of volatile organic compound samples from air at the site. It is called a Total Atmospheric Gas Analyzer and is similar to a unit used during the Gulf War to sample emissions from the oil fires in Kuwait.

The Agency is recommending that businesses in the area planning to reopen next week take precautions including cleaning air conditioning filters end using vacuums with appropriate filters to collect dust. Vacuuming will reduce the chance of re-entering workers tracking dust into the buildings. This work is already underway by City agencies,

The U.S. Coast Guard will be assisting EPA in monitoring impacts, if any, of today's rainstorms on the water quality. However, most of the rainflow is expected to be handled by the City's waste water treatment facility, since there will be only limited sewage in the combined sewer system, EPA has a vessel on site in New York to handle any necessary testing.

Additional technical support has been offered to EPA in New York from the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General's Office of Environmental and Occupational Health. That support would involve five engineers and/or environmental technicians and equipment if needed.

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Appendix H

EPA September 13, 2001 Press Release

September 13, 2001

EPA Initiates Emergency Response Activities, Reassures Public About Environmental Hazards [En Espanol]

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that EPA is taking steps to ensure the safety of rescue workers and the public at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon disaster sites, and to protect the environment. EPA is working with state, federal, and local agencies to monitor and respond to potential environmental hazards and minimize any environmental effects of the disasters and their aftermath.

At the request of the New York City Department of Health, EPA and the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have been on the scene at the World Trade Center monitoring exposure to potentially contaminated dust and debris. Monitoring and sampling conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday have been very reassuring about potential exposure of rescue crews and the public to environmental contaminants.

EPA's primary concern is to ensure that rescue workers and the public are not exposed to elevated levels of asbestos, acidic gases or other contaminants from the debris. Sampling of ambient air quality found either no asbestos or very low levels of asbestos. Sampling of bulk materials and dust found generally low levels of asbestos.

The levels of lead, asbestos and volatile organic compounds in air samples taken on Tuesday in Brooklyn, downwind from the World Trade Center site, were not detectable or not of concern.

Additional sampling of both ambient air quality and dust particles was conducted Wednesday night in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, and results were uniformly acceptable.

"EPA is greatly relieved to have learned that there appears to be no significant levels of asbestos dust in the air in New York City," said Administrator Whitman. "We are working closely with rescue crews to ensure that all appropriate precautions are taken. We will continue to monitor closely."

Public health concerns about asbestos contamination are primarily related to long-term exposure, Short-term, low-level exposure of the type that might have been produced by the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings is unlikely to cause significant health effects. EPA and OSHA will work closely with rescue and cleanup crews to minimize their potential exposure, but the general public should be very reassured by initial sampling.

EPA and OSHA will continue to monitor and sample for asbestos, and will work with the appropriate officials to ensure that rescue workers, cleanup crews and the general public are properly informed about appropriate steps that should be taken to ensure proper handling, transportation and disposal of potentially contaminated debris or materials.

EPA is taking steps to ensure that response units implement appropriate engineering controls to minimize environmental hazards, such as water sprays and rinsing to prevent or minimize potential exposure and limit releases of potential contaminants beyond the debris site.

EPA is also conducting downwind sampling for potential chemical and asbestos releases from the World Trade Center debris site. In addition, EPA has deployed federal On-Scene Coordinators to the Washington, D.C. Emergency Operations Center, Fort Meade, and FEMA's alternate Regional Operations Center in Pennsylvania, and has deployed an On-Scene Coordinator to the Virginia Emergency Operations Center.

Under its response authority, EPA will use all available resources and staff experts to facilitate a safe emergency response and cleanup.

EPA will work with other involved agencies as needed to:

• procure and distribute respiratory and eye protection equipment in cooperation with the Dept. of

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• Health and Human Services;

• provide health and safety training upon request;

• design and implement a site monitoring plan;

• provide technical assistance for site control and decontamination; and

• provide some 3000 asbestos respirators, 60 self-contained breathing apparatuses and 10,000 protective clothing suits to the two disaster sites.

New York Governor George E. Pataki has promised to provide emergency electric generators to New York City in efforts to restore lost power caused by Tuesday's tragedy, and EPA will work with State authorities to expedite any necessary permits for those generators.

OSHA is also working with Consolidated Edison regarding safety standards for e:mployees who are digging trenches because of leaking gas lines underground. OSHA has advised Con Edison to provide its employees with appropriate respirators so they can proceed with emergency work, shutting off gas leaks in the city.

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Appendix I

Non-Governmental Environmental Experts Interviewed

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Appendix J

NYCDEP October 25, 2001 1nstructions to Residents

Department of Environmental Protection
Executive Offices
59-17 Junction Boulevard-19th floor
Corona, New York 11368-5107
www.nyc.gov/dep

Joel A. Miele Sr., P.E., Commissioner
(718) 595-6565 Fax # (718) 595-3525
E-mail: Jmiele@nysnet.net

The City of New York

October 25, 2001

Dear Residents of Lower Manhattan:

Since September 11th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), NYC Department of Health (DOH), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), have been taking samples of the air, dust, water, river sediments and drinking water and analyzing them for the presence of pollutants. The samples are evaluated against a variety of benchmarks, standards and guidelines established to protect public health under various conditions. These agencies consider the amount of time a person is exposed to a particular pollutant and where -- a school, workplace or home -- in creating these criteria.

The following is a description of some of the benchmarks, standards and guidelines these agencies are using to evaluate environmental conditions in the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster.

Asbestos in the Air / In Open Spaces

EPA is requiring the strictest protective standard under AHERA, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, for asbestos in outdoor and indoor areas. (This standard is used to determine whether children may reenter a school building after asbestos has been removed or abated.) To be as protective as possible, EPA, together with NYCDEP and all the other health and environmental agencies, are requiring school reentry standards in tests around the World Trade Center site. NYCDEP, USEPA, and NYC Department of Sanitation worked to perform cleanups of all dust in exterior spaces and all exterior areas of Lower Manhattan that were closed passed their strict protective standards before being opened again to the public.

Asbestos in Dust in Buildings

If a substance contains more than 1% asbestos, it is considered to be an "asbestos-containing material." There are Federal, State and City regulations in place to ensure the proper handling and disposal of asbestos-containing material. If a substance contains 1% or less asbestos, these regulations do not apply.

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EPA is using the 1% definition in evaluating exterior dust samples in the Lower Manhattan area near the World Trade Center.  All affected landlords have been instructed to test dust samples within their buildings utilizing this standard.  Landlords were notified that they should not reopen any building until a competent professional had properly inspected their premise.  If more than 1% asbestos was found and testing and cleaning was necessary, it had to be performed by certified personnel.

Drinking Water

NYC DEP continuously tests drinking water every day for multiple parameters.  After the World Trade Center disaster, DEP expanded the number of tests taken and the parameters of testing.  EPA also conducted separate tests.  Before and after the event, New York City drinking water has met and continues to meet all Federal, State and City standards.  Testing at a heightened level is continuing.

NYC Department of Health

The New York City Health Commissioner Neal L. Cohen, M.D. has reviewed the findings of the various testing agencies and issued the following statements to residents.  He said "despite the smoky conditions in areas of lower Manhattan that are close to the World Trade Center site, test results from the ongoing monitoring of airborne contaminants indicate that the levels continue to be below the level of concern to public health.  Nonetheless, while debris continues to be disturbed, and while flare-ups of smoke continue to permeate the downtown area, air-testing results will continue to be monitored, and appropriate health recommendations will be issued as necessary."  Dr. Cohen added, "As work continues at the disaster site, the presence of dust and smoke odor in the downtown area has been of understandable concern to residents.  However, air monitoring by Federal, State and City agencies has indicated that the levels of particulate matter being detected are below the level of public health concern and do not pose long-term health risks to the general public."

In addition to air monitoring activities, efforts are being made daily to suppress dust and smoke at the World Trade Center disaster site.  Results of daily dust sampling conducted by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency is available online at epa.gov.  Factsheets detailing Health Department recommendations pertaining to air quality, asbestos, safely reoccupying homes and buildlings, and worker safety are available online at nyc.gov/health.  For more information about all Health Department activities, New Yorkers can call (212) 227-5269.  For information about asbestos issues, you can consult our website at nyc.gov/dep or call the New York City Department of Environmental Protection at &718) DEP-HELP and ask to be referred to our asbestos staff.

Very truly yours,

Joel A. Miele, Sr., P.E. Commissioner

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Appendix K

Indoor Air and Dust Test Results

EPA conducted indoor air monitoring and indoor dust wipe sampling in the weeks after the collapse. This EPA indoor air monitoring (prior to the FEMA-funded residential cleanup) was limited primarily to testing for asbestos in buildings. EPA's dust wipe sampling tested for metals, PCBs, and dioxin.

On September 13, 2001, 14 air samples were collected from 26 Federal Plaza, 290 Broadway, and Chase Manhattan Plaza, and analyzed for asbestos. All samples were analyzed by TEM and the results converted to PCM equivalent readings in fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc). One of the 14 samples exceeded the New York City standard for asbestos clearance of .01 f/cc (see Table K-1).

Table K-1:  Indoor Air Test Results from September 13, 2001

During the period September 17 to November 3, 2001, EPA collected dust wipe samples within four buildings: Stuyvesant High School, Public School 234, Manhattan Borough Community College, and the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The samples were analyzed for various metals at all locations, while at Stuyvesant and the Community College samples were also collected and analyzed for PCBs and dioxin. Fifty-four percent of the sample results were below the minimum

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detection limit, while the remaining 46 percent detected contaminants in varying levels. The
highest recorded amount for each pollutant at each location is shown in Table K-2.

Table K-2:  Highest Recorded Readings for Dust Wipe Samples

On September 26, 2001, bulk dust samples from 110 Greenwich were collected and analyzed
for various pollutants. For those pollutants where a screening level existed, the test results were
all below the applicable soil screening levels contained in EPA's Hazard Evaluation Handbook.
Table K -3 presents the results of testing at 110 Greenwich.

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