The Environmental
Impact of the WTC Collapse - So Far, So Good?
by Mark
Bee
The aftermath
of the terrible events of September 11th continues
to linger on our radios and television screens. Whatever
our personal reactions, few of us can imagine the
impact on those who have been enveloped by the disaster
and its remnants, at ground zero itself. The massive
clouds generated by the World Trade Center's collapse
served as stark warning that there would be environmental
issues to consider, on both an individual and an area-wide
basis.
Racing Against Time
The initial response to the tragedy was nothing short
of impressive. While scores of emergency workers were
responding on the scene, wheels were turning all across
the country; wheels which did not exist even a decade
ago, before interagency integration.
Of most immediate concern were the vulnerabilities
of the rescue workers. Simple compassion dictated
that they enter ground zero immediately, whether adequate
protection was available or not. Soon, however, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other
government agencies were in place with respirator
masks, while washing stations were set up to provide
shelter, shade, and places for workers to wash and
change clothes. OSHA has been fit-testing respirators
for workers involved in the rescue and recovery on
an ongoing basis.
Asbestos - A Once and Future Worry
One potential problem which comes to mind upon seeing
the two-inch carpet of dust covering lower Manhattan
is, of course, exposure to asbestos. Luckily, only
the first
40 floors of Tower No. 1 incorporated asbestos in
their design. To date, the EPA has collected several
hundred air and dust samples from the work site and
surrounding area, with under 50 of them above standard.
This may be due to wetting of the site ordered soon
after rescue attempts began.
According to EPA Communications Coordinator Bonnie
Bellow, "The main risk is exposure to asbestos
over long periods of time. It takes years of exposure
in an occupation, and it takes many years before the
onset of any kind of disease." While the EPA
has had a somewhat spotty record regarding assessment
of occupational and environmental risks, Brooke Mossman,
a pathology professor at the University of Vermont
Medical School, concurs. "I would call this an
acute exposure, (but) probably insufficient in duration
to cause disease," she said. Even so, many owners
of buildings surrounding ground zero have initiated
their own cleanups through outside contractors, with
all materials treated as asbestos. A survey of these
buildings, some of which may also be razed as part
of cleanup, is as yet incomplete.
Other Contaminants - A Rogue's Gallery
Of lesser but still substantial concern are several
other possible contaminants, including dioxin, volatile
organics (VOCs), carbon monoxide, silica (primarily
from glass dust), lead, and freon, which is still
often used in refrigeration.
Dioxin levels appear to have generated several above-standard
test results, but levels have died down since the
last fires on-site have been extinguished. The respirators
currently provided to rescue workers protect from
exposure to dioxin.
Volatile organic compounds, possibly including jet
fuel components and stored gasoline, have also largely
dissipated now that fires are out. They are being
continually monitored by EPA's Trace Atmospheric Gas
Analyser, a highly sophisticated mobile laboratory
on a bus. This device closely mimics the unit used
in Kuwait during the Gulf War to monitor the effects
of the massive oil well fires set when Iraq's Republican
Guard were being forced to leave that country.
Likewise, carbon monoxide, silica, lead, and freon
testing have revealed no situations worthy of concern.
In fact, the World Trade Center's freon tanks have
been located and are intact. The freon will be recycled
after it is removed.
Escape From New York?
Early on in the federal response, air and dust samples
from as far away as Brooklyn and New Jersey were taken
in an effort to determine the scale of the problem,
and results were negligible. Even so, other avenues
exist for hazardous substances to move into the environment
at large.
The EPA and the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection sampled drinking water from thirteen water
mains in lower Manhattan on Sept. 15th (sampling is
typically done at main water distribution points,
not at the tap), and neither asbestos nor the usual
possible bacterial contamination were detected. In
addition, water samples from the Hudson and East Rivers
were analyzed. While initial runoff showed elevated
levels of PCBs, dioxin, asbestos, and metals, follow-up
samples found non-detectable levels, below the level
of concern.
The EPA has also collected samples from the 13th Street
Pump Station. As a precaution, the Newtown Creek plant
is segregating the sewage flows from lower Manhattan,
and will not use the sludge from these flows for standard
beneficial use.
Monitoring is also ongoing at Fresh Kills Landfill
on Staten Island, where wreckage debris is bound after
removal. While no cause for alarm has surfaced, FBI
crews have been advised to wear respirators and to
suppress dust with water when dust levels rise.
'Reply Hazy' - Prospects for the Future
While no one can determine with absolute certainty
what levels of contamination are safe, one thing seems
certain: the rescue workers, Fire and Police personnel,
and other respondees to the tragedies of 9-11 are
likely to be among the most closely monitored subjects
of any medical group in history with regard to both
short- and long-term effects. Continuous monitoring
stations are scattered throughout the ground zero
area to maintain the safety of rescue workers as they
progress through the distinct layers of wreckage.
At any rate, the results of efforts to date and the
relative smoothness with which they have been undertaken
underscore the value of interagency preparedness measures.
As we consider the lessons of the fall of '01 and
celebrate the heroes who have labored bravely in the
unique environment of ground zero, perhaps we can
extend our concerns of environmental safety to the
whole of Earth's biosphere. Through advanced monitoring
and planning, it may be that disaster on an even grander
scale can be averted in a similar way, should we choose
to believe what our instruments are telling us.
Additional information regarding monitoring activities
in lower Manhattan can be found at www.epa.gov and
www.osha.gov.
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Author's note:
As this story goes to press, an additional factor
in this ongoing struggle has surfaced. Reports indicate
that more than 4,000 firefighters from ground zero
have been suffering persistent coughs and chest pain.
This condition has been dubbed 'World Trade Center
cough' by New York City's fire department, according
to the New York Times.
The chief pulmonary physician for the Fire Department
of New York, Dr. David Prezant, has said that many
of the firefighters who worked around-the-clock at
ground zero are still suffering symptoms six weeks
after the disaster. He indicated that over 370 firefighters
have been examined, with another 10,000 checkups anticipated
within a month, and added "We know medically
that from inhaling large particulate matter, the consequences
can range from chronic cough to asthma to a higher
incidence of heart attacks."
This development would seem to call into question
either the EPA/OSHA findings or the effectiveness
of protection equipment usage, at least during the
initial rescue efforts.
