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Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

Tuesday, March 26, 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 4:30 p.m. on 3/26

Lower Manhattan:

Air Sampling for Particulates - EPA collected samples from March 23 through March 25 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). Samples were also collected at Locations "N" and "R" on March 22. All readings were below the OSHA time-weighted permissible exposure limit for particulates.

Air Sampling for VOCs - Sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was conducted from March 22 through March 25 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 from March 22 through March 25 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.

Staten Island Landfill:

Air Sampling for Asbestos - A total of 19 samples were collected on March 8. 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.

Latest Available Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

EPA information about the events of September 11

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