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As parents, we want only the best for our children. This includes not only the best education but also the safest environment for learning. Unfortunately, we must report that environmental conditions in and around Stuyvesant continue to pose a potential threat to our children's health and well-being.
From the tragic events of September 11 to the return to Stuyvesant on October 9 to the present day, the Parents' Association has been working diligently to protect the health and safety of the entire Stuyvesant community. Previous reports have detailed the PA's role in obtaining a large-scale asbestos abatement of the school and in convincing the Board of Education to undertake environmental sampling (which continues to this day). This report will bring you up-to-date on current environmental concerns at Stuyvesant.
We Are Concerned
Our primary concern continues to be preventing contaminants in the outdoor environment, all of which are associated with potential adverse health effects, from entering the school and affecting our children. These contaminants originate in the excavation operations and in the few remaining fires at Ground Zero, from where they can become airborne and reach Stuyvesant. In addition, several hundred trucks a day carry pulverized debris and steel girders coated with remnants of asbestos fireproofing from Ground Zero past Stuyvesant to the waste transfer barge operation located immediately adjacent to the north side of the school. Additional contaminants are released into the air as loads are transferred from trucks to barges. Diesel emissions from the many trucks and cranes at the barge are another source of contaminants (diesel fumes are carcinogenic).
School Ventilation is Not Adequate
Since the windows at Stuyvesant are supposed to remain closed at all times, the primary route of entry for outdoor contaminants into the school is through the mechanical ventilation systems. Despite repeated requests from the PA, the Board of Education still has not cleaned the ductwork of the ventilation systems. The main defenses against contaminants are the filters in the ventilation systems. The low-efficiency filters in place on September 11 provided little protection against outside contamination. After months of stalling, the Board of Education finally upgraded the filters at the end of January. Although these replacement filters provide an improvement in efficiency, they still do not provide adequate protection, according to evaluations by two independent professional ventilation engineers working with the PA. In comparison, the existing filters at Borough of Manhattan Community College, located across the street, are approximately twice as protective as Stuyvesant's new filters. The Board of Education refuses to do anything more.
Stuyvesant Needs New Ventilation Systems
The only filters that offer full protection against particulate contaminants (like asbestos, fiberglass, and lead) and against gaseous contaminants (like benzene) are a combination of HEPA and activated-charcoal filters. Stuyvesant's substandard ventilation systems do not permit use of these filters. At the request of the PA, the engineering firm of Cosentini Associates has developed a design to retrofit Stuyvesant's ventilation systems to accommodate such high-efficiency filtration. Consentini determined that by working nights and weekends only, such a system could be in place in approximately four months, or considerably faster if the school was temporarily vacated (as during school vacations). The PA is calling on the Board of Education to implement the Cosentini plan immediately.
Contaminants Continue to Enter Stuyvesant
Results from environmental sampling conducted by the Board of Education demonstrate that Stuyvesant needs improved filtration. On more than 50% of the days from October 9, when our children returned to school, to January 28, measurements of respirable particulate matter inside the school have exceeded EPA guidelines for children. (Exposure to excessive levels of particulates can cause allergic reactions, eye, nose, throat, and skin irritation, and can aggravate or cause chronic airways diseases like asthma). These particulates may pose a greater danger because they may contain a mixture of toxins. Levels of lead dust in excess of regulatory limits were found inside Stuyvesant on two occasions in December and January, requiring a special cleanup of the cafeteria and other areas. (Exposure to excessive levels of lead dust can cause brain, nervous system, and organ damage).
The Barge Operation Continues to Emit Contaminants
It is clear that the close proximity of the barge to the school is putting our children at a greater risk of exposure to toxic contaminants. The PA's environmental engineer has measured and compared airborne concentrations of particulate matter at Ground Zero and on the north side of the Stuyvesant building, and found the particular matter to be higher at Stuyvesant. As the north side of the school faces away from Ground Zero and towards the barge operation, the only reasonable explanation is that we have elevated levels of particulates coming from the barge/truck operation. The PA expert also reports that levels of particulate matter at Stuyvesant have consistently been double the levels at Barclay Street, one block from Ground Zero.
On several occasions, the EPA notified the PA that weeks earlier, it had monitored high levels of certain contaminants outdoors between the school and the barge. On November 28, the amount of asbestos in outdoor air at Stuyvesant greatly exceeded regulatory limits. (Exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer and other catastrophic diseases). On December 10, the concentration of tetrachloroethane in outdoor air at Stuyvesant exceeded EPA guidelines. (Exposure may cause eye, liver, or kidney damage or possibly cancer). On December 19, isocyanate levels in outdoor air at Stuyvesant exceeded EPA guidelines. (Exposure may result in respiratory distress, asthma, and dermatitis). Unfortunately, the EPA has not been monitoring the latter contaminants on a regular basis, nor is there a system in place for proactive notification of the residents, workers, and students in the area. Additional information on sampling results and health hazards may be found at the PA website at www.stuypa.org.
Limitations of Environmental Sampling
Sampling results do not tell the whole story. Regulatory standards for chemical exposure do not take into account the fact that children have increased susceptibility or the potential for more serious adverse health effects. The standards are based upon research conducted among an adult male worker population that is healthier than, and not representative of, the population at large. Further, potential health effects from simultaneous exposure to multiple chemical contaminants, such as is likely occurring in the current unknown environment, are neither regulated, nor well understood (see "Notes on Uses and Limitations of Environmental Sampling" at www.stuypa.org). There may well be synergistic effects which multiply the adverse health impact of a single contaminant. Dr. Stephen Levin of the Mt. Sinai Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, testified to the New York State Assembly, Committee on Environmental Conservation, "Even if air in a particular location does not exceed standards for individual pollutants, combinations of carcinogens, toxins, and irritants, elevated above background levels, could well be harmful to human health." Thus, environmental monitoring results that fall within regulatory limits are not by themselves guarantees of a safe environment for our children.
Incidents of Illness Among Students and Staff
Other factors to be considered include the incidence of symptoms and illness among students, workers, and residents in the area. Based upon information provided by the school administration, since the return to Stuyvesant on October 9 through December 14, eleven students have left Stuyvesant due to air quality problems. Several faculty members have left or taken sabbaticals for health reasons or medical concerns. Many parents report that their children have experienced unusual rashes, nosebleeds, coughing attacks, and chronic sinus and respiratory problems, including new onset asthma and chemical bronchitis. Parents have reported to us several emergency room visits. It has been reported that several custodians have chemical bronchitis. The teachers' union has filed a grievance over environmental conditions at the school. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a branch of the Centers for Disease Control, has begun an investigation of environmental conditions and health effects among teachers at Stuyvesant (and other lower Manhattan locations).
The long-term health effects of exposure to some of the chemicals in the lower Manhattan environment are unknown. Delayed effects from exposure to others may not become apparent for many years. According to Dr. David Carpenter, the Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, SUNY, the greater concern is the delayed long-term health effects from the Ground Zero hazardous contaminants. "Most of the diseases caused by these agents will not appear immediately, but will be manifested only after 5-25 years. Furthermore, for all of these substances, there is clear evidence that the risk of cancer increases with exposure. Most of these substances are persistent, which is to say that once they enter the body, they do not leave for periods of many years. Furthermore, children are more vulnerable to disease from such exposures because their bodies are not mature and they are growing rapidly."
Greater National Concern
These developments are taking place within the wider context of heightened concern about the full characterization and handling of air quality in the areas around Ground Zero. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ombudsman has commenced an investigation into how the Agency handled air quality in the World Trade Center area after September 11. On January 17, Congressman Jerrold Nadler "…charged that the EPA has abrogated its responsibility to protect public health by proclaiming lower Manhattan safe without comprehensive data to support that statement." Senator Clinton and the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has called for hearings on February 11 "on the impacts of the September 11 attack on air quality and possible related health impacts in the area of the World Trade Center, and how to address any such impacts." PA President Marilena Christodoulou has been invited to testify.
Immediate Action is Needed
The PA's Environmental Health and Safety Committee has identified three priorities that we believe warrant immediate action to protect the health of our children:
- In order to protect the integrity of air quality inside the school, the mechanical ventilation systems must be upgraded to accommodate the most protective filters possible, preferably a combination of HEPA and charcoal filters.
- All ventilation system ductwork must be cleaned.
- The barge operation must be relocated and truck traffic rerouted to areas where they will have the least impact on students and residents.
The Environmental Health and Safety Committee urges all parents to work together using all effective methods to achieve these goals.
Given the unprecedented and unknown nature of the environment, we cannot rely on unequivocal assurances from government agencies, including the Board of Education, as to the health and safety of our children.
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