In an effort to help guide conservators in handling objects contaminated with dust that contains hazardous components from the World Trade Center disaster site, the H & S Committee provided a packet of information for members of the New York Regional Association for Conservators. The documents were written, compiled and sponsored by the AIC Health and Safety Committee, Arts Crafts and Theater Safety (ACTS), the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education (SCMRE) and the Smithsonian's Office of Safety and Environmental Management (OSEM), Smithsonian Institution.
Much of the specific information about individual contaminants changes frequently as more information becomes available. Federal agencies (OSHA, EPA) are conducting air monitoring on an almost daily basis in Lower Manhattan. Most test results generally indicate low airborne concentrations of hazardous materials outside of the Ground Zero work area itself. However, some or all of these materials are presumed to be still present in the settled dust in a wide range of concentrations depending on the location of the building/work site or home site in relation to the WTC, whether the building had been or still is open to the environment (i.e., windows blown out), prevailing winds, and the degree to which the building interiors had been decontaminated since the collapse.
It is important to keep in mind that the air sampling data is only relevant for those working in the area where sampling has been done. The documents included in this packet are specifically designed to help conservators who are primarily concerned with the composition of the settled dust to which they will be exposed when it is disturbed during their work.
Experts acknowledge that no one knows how all these substances in combination, even when each individual chemical is below regulatory concern, will affect people. A number of occupational physicians are reporting respiratory problems and adult onset asthma in people living or working as far as seven blocks from Ground Zero. And a number of official health studies are now underway which may cause us to make changes in our recommendations and in this document.
We would like to thank SCMRE and the Smithsonian Institution for their help in coordinating efforts to produce these documents and for their time and consideration in mailing these packets.
Lisa Goldberg, Chair, Health and Safety Committee, AIC
Monona Rossol, President, ACTS
