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Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

Saturday-Monday, February 9-11, 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 9:30 a.m. on 2/12

Air: Fixed Monitors in New York:
Asbestos - EPA analyzed 21 samples taken in and around ground zero on February 4. All samples 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. This brings the total number of air samples collected and analyzed for lower Manhattan to 5,750, with 31 samples above the standard (27 of these were collected prior to September 30, the other four were collected on October 9, November 27, December 27 and January 14).

Ambient Air Samples:
Particulate Monitoring - EPA used portable monitors to collect samples on February 6, and from February 8 through February 10 at Location N (south side of Pier 25), Location R (northwest side of Stuyvesant High School) and Location L (northeast side of Stuyvesant High School). All readings were below the OSHA time-weighted permissible exposure limit for particulates.

Dioxin - A total of 10 samples were collected on January 29 from several locations in lower Manhattan. All samples collected were below the EPA Removal Action guidelines (based on a 30-year exposure).

VOCs - Sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was conducted from February 7 through February 10 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 from February 7 through February 10 at EPA's Wash Tent (West & Murray Streets), Austin Tobin Plaza, the South Tower debris pile, and the North Tower debris pile showed no detectable levels of VOC's, or the levels of VOC's did not exceed OSHA standards.

VOC's - Samples taken on February 9, directly in a plume of smoke emanating from a 4-inch subsurface pipe in Basement Level #3 of the Austin Tobin Parking Garage, showed very high levels of numerous VOC's. Actions were taken by the fire department to reduce the smoke, which is no longer being emitted from this pipe, however follow-up work to trace the pipe continues.

Latest Available Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

EPA information about the events of September 11

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