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Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

Wednesday, February 27, 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 4:00 p.m. on 2/27

Ambient Air Samples:
Particulate Monitoring - EPA used portable monitors to collect samples on February 26 at Location "L" (northeast side of Stuyvesant High School), Location "N" (south side of Pier 25), and Location "R" (northwest 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 February 26 in the direct area of the excavation 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 February 26 at EPA's Wash Tent (West & Murray Streets), Austin Tobin Plaza, and the North Tower and South Tower excavation areas either showed no detectable levels of VOCs, or the levels of VOCs did not exceed OSHA standards.

Latest Available Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

EPA information about the events of September 11

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