September 13, 2001-September 19, 2001: EPA Building near Ground Zero Professionally Cleaned of Asbestos

EPA Region 2 hires an industrial hygienist to test the lobby of its building at 290 Broadway St. for the presence of asbestos. The building is located 6 blocks northeast of the World Trade Center site. Some of the settled dust samples collected with a micro-vac and analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal the presence of chrysotile asbestos. Light microscope tests are also used to analyze the dust, but these tests turn up negative. [Jenkins, 3/11/2002 ; Kupferman, 2003 ; Jenkins, 7/4/2003 ] Air monitoring also reveals the presence of asbestos:
20 s/mm [Environmental Protection Agency, 7/15/2004 ]
20 s/mm [Environmental Protection Agency, 7/15/2004 ]
60 s/mm [Environmental Protection Agency, 7/15/2004 ]
60 s/mm [Environmental Protection Agency, 7/15/2004 ] The discovery of asbestos at the building prompts EPA Region 2 to have the building professionally abated. [Jenkins, 3/11/2002 ; Kupferman, 2003 ; Jenkins, 7/4/2003 ] The EPA later states that micro-vac collection of dust samples (one of the preferred methods of obtaining samples) and TEM testing are not necessary for schools and residences in Lower Manhattan. At 105 Duane Street, the EPA will even discount results obtained by micro-vac collection and TEM tests when they contradict the agency’s own results (see December 3, 2001). [Office of US Congressman Jerrold Nadler, 4/12/2002 ; Wall Street Journal, 5/9/2002 ; Kupferman, 2003 ]