EPA announces final phase of 9/11 dust cleanup

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Wednesday that it plans to launch the final phase of 9/11 contamination testing and cleanup program in New York City next month, after facing criticism that the agency has not done enough even after more than five years of terrorist attack.

The US$7 million program will test the air and dust in commercial buildings and apartments in Lower Manhattan to look for four contaminants associated with the debris from the collapse of the Twin towers. These contaminants are: asbestos, lead, man-made fibers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

"It is time to begin this final phase in EPA's response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11," said Alan Steinberg, EPA regional administrator. "We hope that the program will provide peace of mind to people who live and work in lower Manhattan."

EPA has earlier checked more than 4,000 units in the area, in 2002 and 2003.

The cleanup programme will begin in January 2007 when the agency will open a two-month registration period. Testing of interior spaces is expected to begin in the spring. If the registration for the program goes high, then the priority for testing and cleaning will be given to those local residents and owners of commercial or residential buildings who are closest to Ground Zero.

Under the programme, if workers find any one of the contaminants, the agency will professionally clean the affected space for free.

Many rescue workers and downtown residents who came under the effects of smoke, dust and debris during the attacks, in the following days suffered from what has been called "World Trade Center cough."

"The vast majority of occupied residential and commercial spaces in lower Manhattan have been repeatedly cleaned, and we believe the potential for exposure related to dust that may remain from the collapse of the World Trade Center building is low," said Dr. George M. Gray, Assistant Administrator for the EPA Office of Research and Development. “The Test and Clean Program offers participants a way to get information about the possible presence of contaminants in their homes and buildings.”

The agency has been facing criticism from several New York lawmakers who have accused the agency of not doing adequately to protect public health following the September 11 attacks.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator from New York, called the agency’s new plan, which covers the areas south of Canal Street and west of Allen and Pike Streets, "incredibly frustrating and disappointing."

"The EPA has now acknowledged that additional testing is necessary, but the program announced today is totally inadequate. I plan to use my chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health to continue to press for a more expansive test and clean program in the new Congress," Clinton said in a statement, Wednesday.

The conflict between the lawmakers and the administration over 9-11 health issues had started after the federal agency claimed within days of the fatal incidence that the dust from 1.8 million tons of 'Twin towers’ debris posed no public health threat.