9/11 Cleanup Continues, Environmentalists Concerned

[Sleepless In NY]

9/11 Cleanup Continues
As officials prepare to demolish some of the last buildings damaged on September 11, 2001, an environmental expert expresses concern about the impact on residents and workers

WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Julie Scelfo
Newsweek
Updated: 1:21 p.m. ET Jan. 27, 2005

Jan. 27 - For New Yorkers living in lower Manhattan, the abandoned, black-shrouded 40-story building across from Ground Zero has for years been a reminder of how the collapsing twin towers emitted a vast blanket of environmental contamination that may still affect nearby residents and workers. On the morning of September 11, 2001, a falling section of 2 World Trade Center ripped open a 15-story hole in the Deutsche Bank Building, which allowed toxic dust and ashes to pour in. According to a damage report prepared for Deutsche Bank in 2003, asbestos, lead, mercury, dioxins and carcinogenic PCBs penetrated the building, snaking their way into interior stairwells, elevator shafts, wall cavities and ventilation systems. In the months that followed, mold also proliferated, contributing to what the report described as “a combination of contaminants … unparalleled in any other building designed for office use.”

After a lengthy battle involving insurers and downtown-rebuilding officials, Deutsche Bank last year sold the building to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), which plans to begin demolishing the structure as soon as possible. Although business officials are eager to remove what many view as a tombstonelike reminder of 9/11, residents and visitors alike are concerned that the demolition will only add to the woes of the neighborhood, where hundreds of thousands of people work and live, including a legion of Wall Street employees who are vital to the nation's economy. To understand the environmental impact, NEWSWEEK’s Julie Scelfo spoke with Dave Newman, an industrial hygienist who coordinates the World Trade Center Health and Safety Project for the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH). Excerpts: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6876370/site/newsweek/

[TomClash]

1. When?

I think every one who lives downtown ought to be evacuated that day and any one who works ther should stay home from work that day.

But I'm sure it will come down with no warning - in Bloomberg's New York, Pataki's New York and Bush's America.

[bpcmxr]

2. The building will not be demolished by implosion

There's too much contamination and too much rish of toxic release. Instead it's going to be dismantled piece-by-piece, floor-by-floor, starting at the top. The process is expected to take many months.