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Daily Environmental Monitoring Summary

Tuesday, May 21, 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 4:45 p.m. on 5/21

Lower Manhattan:

Air Sampling for Asbestos - EPA analyzed 76 samples taken in and around ground zero from May 12 through May 15. EPA also collected samples at two additional locations in lower Manhattan on April 30. 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 asbestos in lower Manhattan to 9,272, with 21 samples above the standard (11 of these were collected prior to September 30; the other 10 were collected on October 9, November 27, December 27, January 14, February 5, February 11, March 9, March 29, March 30 and April 2).

Air Sampling for Particulates - EPA collected samples on May 20 at 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.

Air Sampling for VOC's - Sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOC's) was conducted on May 20 and May 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 on May 20 and May 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 VOC's, or the levels of VOC's did not exceed OSHA standards.

Staten Island Landfill:

Air Sampling for Asbestos - A total of 56 samples were collected from May 11 through May 13. All samples were below the school re-entry standard.

Elsewhere in New York City:

Air Sampling for Asbestos - Samples were collected on April 30 at Intermediate School 143 (511 W. 182nd St., Manhattan), Public School 154 (333 East 135th St., Bronx), P.S. 274 (800 Bushwick Ave, Brooklyn) and P.S. 199 (3290 48th St., Queens). None showed exceedances of the AHERA re-entry standard.

EPA information about the events of September 11

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