NYC Ground-Zero Air-Quality Worries Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit [Note: Now that the BushWar has become 24-hour-a-day carpet bombing and US military dog-and-pony shows with dubious slides and statistics of "success" (whatever that means), we will be reporting much less war "news," which at this point takes on the status of government fantasy propaganda, from all the governments concerned, and their lapdog media. For the 90% approval ratings claimed by BushPolls, and the 85% kill rates claimed by the Pentagoons, we have the mainstream media, and CNN does that so much better. We return you now to alternative viewpoints and commentary, while we endure the burning-metal smoke and await the bodycounts. -- NY Transfer.] Tuesday October 09 03:27 PM EDT (via yahoo) Trade Center Air Quality Worries Some By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Four weeks after the collapse of the World Trade Center, New Yorkers are wearing dust masks on the streets downtown and hiring industrial cleanup crews to remove asbestos from their offices and apartments. Despite government assurances that the air is safe near the site of the devastated trade center, many are still worried about the environmental effects. Harriet Grimm was evacuated from her apartment six blocks north of the Trade Center for 10 days. When she returned she feared that the dust contained asbestos; she used a damp rag and a vacuum cleaner outfitted with a high-efficiency air filter to remove it. Then she spent more than $1,000 on three air purifiers and an air conditioner - needed because she decided to keep the windows closed. `We couldn't exercise any control over what happened on Sept. 11, but since that time I want to do whatever I can,'' said Grimm, who lives with her partner and 31/2-year-old daughter. `Air quality is something I'm focusing on now because that is within our control.'' The twin towers spouted immense plumes of smoke when they were attacked, and scattered debris for miles when they fell. Depending on the wind direction, the air is still dusty. Smoke still curls from the ruins. And an acrid odor still hangs over the area. Many pedestrians still wear masks or use scarves to cover their mouths. Government officials have said from the beginning that the air is safe for everyone except rescue workers at the Trade Center site, who should wear respirators. `I know subjectively it looks bad, and there's odor, and there will be until the fire subsides and the cleanup is done,'' said John Henshaw, administrator of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA and the federal Environmental Protection Agency have taken hundreds of air samples and posted the results on their Web sites. Tests have at times shown asbestos levels around the site at above the federal limits for indoor spaces. But those readings were mostly taken on the 16-acre Trade Center site, and samples outside that zone were lower. No other pollutant - such as volatile organics, heavy metals and dioxin - has been detected at unsafe levels. Long-term exposure to high levels of asbestos can cause scarring of the lungs and cancer. [** Note: There is no such thing as a "safe" level of asbestos fibers. Like dioxin, it's deadly at any level.] Because of the asbestos, the city Health Department has recommended people wet-mop their homes and vacuum with a HEPA vacuum. HEPA vacuums, which have become widely available in recent years, have high-efficiency filters and are often used by people with respiratory problems. In most cases, however, the department suggested the cleanup can be done by the individual, without professional help. `If you're close to the blast zone and you're moving back in I think it's important to follow the recommendations,'' said Health Department spokeswoman Sandra Mullin. Private laboratories hired by companies near the Trade Center site are also testing for asbestos, and those findings have raised further questions. One company, Virginia-based HP Environmental, said its tests have found surprisingly large numbers of tiny asbestos fibers - less than 5 microns in length - which it said the EPA may not be picking up. OSHA's Henshaw said he had not seen the report and could not comment on it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide $5 million to monitor air quality and study levels of asthma and other possible respiratory effects from the disaster. Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of environmental and occupational medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said asbestos was used in the construction of the first Trade Center tower up to the 40th floor before the ban on the cancer-causing substance went into effect in 1971. The rest of the 110-story first tower and all of the second were built without asbestos. `Listen, there has been some asbestos liberated into the air, but the levels are very low,'' he said. `We can't say it's a zero-risk situation but it's an extremely low-risk situation.'' Landrigan said people returning to areas near the site should follow cleanup recommendations and limit outdoor exercise like jogging. `If people are sensible the risk is extremely low,'' he said. `I would not recommend respirators for the average person on the street. Some people may feel that wearing a dust mask makes them more comfortable but that should be based on comfort, not medical necessity.'' On the Net: Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov Occupational Safety and Health Administration: http://osha.gov New York City government: http://www.nyc.gov ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytenv-10.10.01-04:07:57-17877