By JOHN HEILPRIN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency is looking at treating
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as Superfund sites, a move that would
enable the special fund to be tapped for cleanup costs.
Tests of rubble from the World Trade Center show elevated levels of asbestos,
EPA spokesman Chris Paulitz said Thursday.
Firefighters, police and other rescuers at the scene – not to mention those
who escaped the wreckage – could quickly develop pneumonia or asthma-like
symptoms, health experts said.
But EPA testing in Brooklyn, a mile and a half downwind from the World Trade
Center wreckage, shows lead, asbestos and organic chemicals in the air are
either undetectable or not at high enough levels to cause concern, Paulitz said.
The EPA plans to collect air and soil samples from the buckled and
fire-charred section of the Pentagon that was struck by an airliner.
Paulitz said treating the two locations as Superfund sites without formally
declaring them so is allowed by laws dealing with hazardous waste.
EPA officials in New York handed out masks and goggles to rescuers and
encouraged them to wet down the debris to help protect themselves from asbestos,
smoke and dust.
Asbestos was commonly used as insulation prior to 1980. EPA Administrator
Christie Whitman said it is the biggest environmental hazard from the terrorist
attacks Tuesday, other than the smoke itself. Whitman was on her way to downtown
Manhattan Thursday afternoon.
If inhaled, asbestos fibers can lead years later to cancer and a deadly lung
disease called asbestosis. Most cases of asbestos-related disease are caused by
repeated exposure rather than a single dose, lung experts said.
Whitman said the EPA has offered its long-term assistance in disposing of the
debris blanketing downtown Manhattan, but does not expect permanent
environmental damage from the attacks.
APNP-09-13-01 1424CDT