May 17, 2002—From September 18 through October 4, 2001, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) personnel, and contractors, collected air samples in areas immediately adjacent to the debris pile and on personnel actively involved in rescue efforts on or near the debris pile to characterize occupational exposures during the disaster response at the World Trade Center site in New York City, NY. The report is a compilation of sampling efforts used to identify potential hazards and to recommend appropriate protective measures where needed for the workers whose exposures were sampled.
Almost all of the air samples, collected at a height approximating the workers’ breathing zone, were below the NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) and the OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL). The few carbon monoxide measurements that exceeded one or more of these evaluation criteria involved workers using an acetylene cutting torch or cutting saw. The information led to interventions that addressed the problem. NIOSH says the results underscored the need for adequate ventilation and worker awareness when using these tools.
For the complete report on asbestos, carbon monoxide, diesel exhaust, Freon 22, hydrogen sulfide, inorganic acids, mercury, metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, respirable particulate, respirable crystalline silica, total particulate, and volatile organic hydrocarbons levels, see “NIOSH’s Summary Report to the New York City Department of Health.”
