Jump to main content.

Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

Saturday-Monday, April 20-22, 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 4:15 p.m. on 4/22

Lower Manhattan:

Air Sampling for Particulates - EPA collected samples from April 19 through April 21 at Location "L" (northeast side of Stuyvesant High School) and Location "N" (south side of Pier 25). EPA also collected samples on April 19 and April 20 at Location "R" (northwest side of Stuyvesant High School). All readings were below the OSHA time-weighted permissible exposure limit for particulates.

Air Sampling for VOC's - Sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOC's) was conducted from April 19 through April 21 in the direct area of the excavation at ground zero. To protect workers at the work site, EPA takes grab samples of VOC's 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 April 19 through April 21 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 Particulates - There were no significant readings from samples collected on April 20 and April 21.

Latest Available Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

EPA information about the events of September 11

Jump to main content.