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Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

Friday, February 1, 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 1:00 p.m. on 2/1

Staten Island Landfill:

Metals - Five air samples were collected on January 10 and analyzed for metals. All metals were either not detected or were below applicable EPA Removal Action level guidelines, OSHA PELs, and the NAAQS for lead.

Ambient Air Samples:

Dioxin - A total of 29 samples were collected on January 10, 15 and 18 at various locations in lower Manhattan. All samples collected were below the EPA Removal Action guidelines (based on a 30-year exposure).

Metals - Ten samples were collected on January 10 at various locations in lower Manhattan. All metals were either not detected or were below applicable EPA Removal Action level guidelines, OSHA PELs, and the NAAQS for lead.

PCBs - Nine samples were collected on January 15 at various locations in lower Manhattan. PCBs were not detected.

VOCs - Sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was conducted on January 30 and January 31 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.

All samples taken on January 30 and January 31 at EPA's Wash Tent (West & Murray Streets), Austin Tobin Plaza, the South Tower debris pile, and the North Tower debris pile either showed no detectable levels of VOC's, or the levels of VOC's did not exceed OSHA standards.

Latest Available Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

EPA information about the events of September 11

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