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Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

Friday, January 4, 2002

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal, state and local agencies have collected extensive environmental monitoring data from the World Trade Center site and nearby areas in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey. Since September 11, EPA has taken samples of the air, dust, water, river sediments and drinking water and analyzed them for the presence of pollutants that might pose a health risk to response workers at the World Trade Center site and the public. The samples are evaluated against a variety of benchmarks, standards and guidelines established to protect public health under various conditions. EPA is collecting data from more than 20 fixed air monitors in and around ground zero and additional monitors in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The Agency is also using portable sampling equipment to collect data from a range of locations.

Results as of 6:00 p.m. on 1/4

Air: Fixed Monitors in New York:
Asbestos - EPA analyzed 117 samples taken in and around ground zero from December 26 through 29. All but one sample showed results less than 70 structures per square millimeter, which is the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) standard for allowing children to re-enter school buildings after asbestos removal activities. One sample taken on December 27 showed 204.44 structures per square millimeter. In light of this sample reading, EPA is increasing surveillance of the ground zero work area to ensure all dust suppression measure are taken. This brings the total number of air samples collected and analyzed for lower Manhattan to 4,191, with 30 samples above the standard (27 of these were collected prior to September 30, the other three were collected on October 9, November 27 and December 27).

Staten Island Landfill:
Air (Asbestos) - Thirty-three air samples collected on December 29 and 30 were analyzed for asbestos. All were below the school re-entry standard.

Air (Particulates) - EPA used portable monitors to collect samples of particulates on January 2 at the Staten Island Landfill. There were no significant readings.

Ambient Air Samples:
Particulate Monitoring - EPA used portable monitors to collect samples on January 3 in the following locations: L (north east side of Stuyvesant High School); N (south side of Pier 25); and R (north west side of Stuyvesant High School). All readings were below the OSHA time-weighted permissible exposure limit for particulates.

VOCs - Sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was conducted on January 2 in the direct area of the debris pile at ground zero. To protect workers at the work site, EPA takes grab samples of VOCs where smoke plumes have been sighted. The results are snapshots of the levels at a moment in time. OSHA's protective standards set a permissible exposure limit (PEL) averaged over an 8-hour day. Benzene did not exceed the OSHA standard in any samples. Samples taken at EPA's Wash Tent (West St. and Murray) and Austin Tobin Plaza showed no detectable levels of benzene.

Direct Air Readings - EPA did air monitoring in and around ground zero for a number of compounds on January 3. No significant readings were found.

Latest Available Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

EPA information about the events of September 11

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