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Air Today . . . Gone Tomorrow Article EPA Considers Paying for
Apartment Cleaning
By Margaret Ramirez, Newsday Staff
Writer, April 12, 2002
Seven months after the World Trade Center collapse, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it was considering paying for the cleanup of
hundreds of dust-filled apartments and offices in lower Manhattan. News that the federal
agency might take the financial burden of the massive cleanup from landlords and tenants
came during an Assembly hearing on air quality issues.
In a heated exchange between EPA regional director Kathleen Callahan
and Assemb. Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), Callahan said the agency was considering the
possibility of paying for indoor cleanup of buildings. Thats on the table.
Weve never taken anything off the table, Callahan said after testifying before
Assembly members. Were going to keep discussing that with all our federal,
state and city partners and as soon as we work through things, were going to let
people know whats the best way to go.
In recent months, city and state officials, as well as residents of
lower Manhattan, have intensified their criticism of the EPA for failing to take
responsibility of indoor air-testing of contaminants. Hundreds of residents, students and
workers in the area have complained of headaches, nosebleeds and respiratory problems they
believe are attributed to contaminants from World Trade Center debris.
Since Sept. 11, EPA officials have said repeatedly that its sole
responsibility was the outdoor environment. The city was charged with testing indoor
private spaces, EPA officials said. But Friday, Gottfried said according to a presidential
directive the EPA is mandated to clean up all buildings contaminated as a result of an act
of terrorism. After explaining the directive, an angered Gottfried asked Callahan,
So, are you responsible for indoor air quality or are you not?
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes lower Manhattan, said he
could not understand why the federal agency had not taken action immediately after the
attack. Elsewhere they have done and paid for the cleanup. I dont know why
they wouldnt do it in New York, except for the fact that it may cost more here
because the disaster is of a greater magnitude, Nadler, a Democrat, said.
Callahan said the EPA is in the process of doing a building by
building inventory of what has already been done and what remains to be completed.
According to Tradewinds Environmental Restoration of Bay Shore, professional cleanup of an
apartment could cost from $10,000 to $30,000.
Also at the hearing, Robert Avaltroni of the city Department of
Environmental Protection detailed a plan to remove caked dust and debris from 211 rooftops
and building facades near Ground Zero. More troubling were results of limited indoor
testing done by the city agency. Avaltroni said that of 2,622 samples submitted by
building owners, 169 samples contained levels of asbestos greater than 1 percent.
Federal regulatory requirements state that asbestos levels above the 1
percent level are hazardous. That concerns me, said Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver. We cant just dismiss these things. FAIR USE
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