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Dear Parents
This letter is being written in an attempt to answer questions that have been posed by parents as well as clarify the PA's position on environmental conditions in and around the school.
Since September 11, the PA Executive Board, the Political, Social, and Legal Action Committee, the Environmental, Health & Safety Committee (EHSC), and numerous parent volunteers have worked diligently to protect the health and safety of the students and staff at Stuyvesant. Much has been achieved as a result of the PA's efforts:
- an asbestos abatement cleanup at the school (except the ventilation ducts).
- regular environmental sampling inside and outside the school.
- upgraded filters in the ventilation system of a 40% efficiency rating at
one micron (only at the end of January, 4 months after our children moved back). These filters still do not adequately protect against contaminants. More protective filters of at least 90-95% efficiency rating are needed.
For more details, we refer you to the EHSC's Report of February 4 and EHSC's Response to the February 7 letter of Deputy Chancellor Klasfeld, on our website at www.stuypa.org.
Unfortunately, the Board of Education (BOE) has introduced a high level of politics and divisiveness in this process, including personal attacks against the PA leadership and covert communications with certain members of the PA Executive Board. Recently, parents have received several letters from Deputy Chancellor Klasfeld trying to discredit the PA Environmental Health & Safety Committee reports and to reassure parents that the environment inside and outside the school is unequivocally safe. As a result, we are forced to spend our time and energy opposing the position of the BOE, instead of working collaboratively with them for the benefit of our children.
The post-September 11 environment is of an unprecedented and unknown nature, especially as it relates to the health and safety of our children. Having listened to respected experts' opinions over the past five months, our conclusion is that the environmental safety of Lower Manhattan is still very much in debate. Meanwhile, while this debate is going on, many parents report to us that their children are experiencing unusual rashes, nosebleeds, coughing attacks, and chronic sinus and respiratory problems.
We have been asking the BOE to take prudent, precautionary measures to protect our children. These measures are reasonable and consistent with actions taken by other buildings in the area:
- Clean the ventilation system ductwork (Estimated cost: $50-100,000;
Estimated time: 7 days)
- Upgrade the ventilation systems to accommodate 90-95% minimum efficiency filtration (Estimated cost: $1.6 million; Estimated time: 2 months if school is vacant, 4 months if school is occupied and work is done nights plus weekends).
- Take effective action to cause the City to relocate the truck and barge
operations away from the school.
These measures are not only important for the short-term until the WTC recovery operations are completed, but also for the next 5-7 years of redevelopment of Lower Manhattan. We understand that City agencies are considering keeping the barge next to Stuyvesant during the years of construction ahead. Additionally, the N.Y. State Department of Environmental Conservation has requested that Congress waive the Clean Air Act requirements in Lower Manhattan during the construction period. This would result in diesel emissions and combustion by-product pollution next to the school at higher levels than prior to September 11.
To-date, the Board of Education refuses to clean the ducts, refuses to upgrade the ventilation systems' filtration, and refuses to take any effective action on the barge relocation. To date, public agencies have refused to relocate the barge.
Once again, we have to consider both sides of the environmental debate on air quality as it relates to the inside of the school and the outdoor environment:
Indoor Air Quality:
The BOE's position is unequivocal. BOE's consultant, Dr. Philip Landrigan, is confident "that the indoor environment at the school is clean and safe" (see Dr. Landrigan's letter of February 20 to parents).
Dr. David Carpenter, the Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, State University of N.Y., and a Director of Healthy Schools Network, believes that "the [school] building has not yet been proven safe". Attached hereto is Dr. Carpenter's letter in which he also states that " the new filtering system in place does not protect the indoor air", and expresses his concern about the elevated lead levels inside the school and the proximity of the barges and trucks.
Outdoor Air Quality:
Most scientists agree that, since most of the WTC fires are out, the outdoor air quality in Lower Manhattan has improved. Most of them also agree that the outdoor environmental quality continues to be unpredictable. Also, as reported by the Natural Resources
Defense Council in the first comprehensive report on post-9/11 air quality, there are
still 3 "hotspots" of hazardous environmental quality: Ground Zero, the Barge operation on Pier 25, and the vicinity of the diesel-powered trucks and construction equipment. Unfortunately, Stuyvesant is located right next to 2 out of these 3 hotspots.
BOE's consultant, Dr. Landrigan, agrees with this assessment. At Senator Clinton's Senate hearings on February 11, Dr. Landrigan supported my testimony that the trucks and barge constitute an unacceptable risk to our children. He testified "I've been down there. I have seen those trucks go by inadequately covered. I certainly would not want any of my grandchildren to be out there". His letter of February 20 to the Stuyvesant parents is contradictory to his testimony.
As to the quote from the DELTA Group [for Detection and Evaluation of Long-range Transport of Aerosols, at University of California at Davis] report used by Deputy Chancellor Klasfeld in his letter of February 21, the quote is out of context and misleading. The complete quote is as follows: "All evidence indicates that ambient air in New York City now is little influenced by the World Trade Center collapse, especially since the fires are out and the debris pile has cooled. However, the presence of large amounts of very fine particles as late as October means that indoor cleanup should be done carefully, Cahill said. Very fine particles will have penetrated crevices and fabrics in a way normal dust doesn't. And they are easily re-suspended, which re-exposes the room's occupants to them".
Furthermore, at the February 25 EPA National Ombudsman Investigative Hearings hosted by Congressman Nadler, Dr. Cahill, the senior scientist of the DELTA Group and an international authority on the constituents and transport of airborne particles, testified that the EPA had not tested for very fine particles, considered to be much more dangerous to human health, and could not declare the air safe. Dr. Cahill also testified that he could not say whether the air is safe today. The BOE has not tested Stuyvesant for these very fine particles.
Incidence of Illness:
As you may remember, after students and faculty reported symptoms of illness, parents received a letter from Principal Teitel dated October 18, stating, " Epidemiologists from the Department of Health will further investigate the cause of symptoms." In his letter
of February 7 to parents and staff, Deputy Chancellor Klasfeld states "The most comprehensive epidemiological study of…claims of greater illness (among students and staff) has not been released by the City Department of Health….There are no large scale sicknesses or illness at the school".
The facts are: No epidemiological study of Stuyvesant students has been conducted. No parents have been asked for consent for the participation of their children, as required for a study. No interviews have been conducted. No surveys have been distributed. Statistics derived from numbers of absences or numbers of visits to the school nurse are not reliable indicators of the incidence of symptoms of illness among students.
At Senator Clinton's Hearings, BOE consultant Dr. Philip Landrigan endorsed my
testimony about the lack of any epidemiological or other serious study at Stuyvesant. He testified "I agree with what Mrs. Christodoulou said. To my knowledge, there has been no organized efforts to do systematic surveys of respiratory health problems, …or other health problems in children. I think this is a serious need that needs to be met".
In an effort to determine the extent of illness among students, the PA's EHSC has developed the enclosed Confidential Questionnaire. We would appreciate your completing it and returning it to us. We have asked Senator Clinton to include students in her plan to track incidence of illness and for the Government to assume responsibility for early detection and treatment of illness related to the WTC disaster. Irrespective of incidences of short-term health effects on our children, we are especially concerned about the long-term health effects, which are harder to ascertain at this time.
PA's Efforts:
Our efforts to date to cause the BOE to take action on our requests, including having the barge operation relocated, and our efforts to cause Government agencies to have the barge relocated, include the following:
- Numerous meetings and communications between representatives of the PA Executive Board, the PA EHSC and the BOE from mid-September until mid-November, at which time the BOE refused to meet with us any more (Deputy Chancellor Klasfeld invited us to a meeting on February 11 only after he learned that the PA was considering litigation).
- Communication with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and our local chapter, and coordination efforts.
- PA representatives made a presentation at the BOE Public Agenda Meeting, attended by Members of the Board of the BOE. Also, private meetings were held with certain BOE Board members.
- Continuous involvement of the PA's expert, Howard Bader, along with UFT experts, in cleanup, testing, and remedial actions by BOE and their consultants.
- Monitoring and posting of environmental testing results at the school by the PA EHSC. Also, monitoring of EPA testing results.
- Notification by EPA to PA President of any elevated levels of contaminants at EPA monitoring station at the barge. This is how the PA learned of the asbestos, tetrachloroethane, and isocyanate contamination next to the school's north side..
- Consultations with scientists, physicians, and environmentalists, including physicians at Mt. Sinai, NYU, and SUNY hospitals, physicians at the Centers for Disease Control's National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, scientists at NYU and Columbia University, environmentalists at Natural Resources Defense Council, Healthy Schools Network, and others.
- PA President, PA Expert, and PA members have testified at several City Council and EPA hearings. PA President also testified at State Assembly and U.S. Senate hearings.
- Employed several professional ventilation engineering firms, including the
original designer of the school's ventilation system. They all agree that the
ventilation system needs to be upgraded .
- We are seeking to obtain funding for the upgrade of the ventilation systems from sources outside the BOE, and have submitted so far applications to the 9/11 Fund and to a private foundation.
- Numerous meetings and communications with government agencies, EPA, DEP, DEC, DOH, DCC, DOT, etc., and City officials, including Deputy Mayor Mark Shaw.
- Numerous meetings and communications with elected officials, including City Council members, State Senators, and Congressmen. In recent weeks, we have been working with Senator Clinton's office, and with Congressman Nadler's office. Also, along with other schools in the area, we have been working closely with City Councilman Alan Gerson, especially regarding the current high lead levels in all the area schools.
- We have joined forces with the downtown community through the PA Political, Social, and Legal Action Committee, and have joined the WTC Environmental Coalition. The PA participated in a press conference and rally at City Hall in December, and jointly with the other schools and the Stuyvesant Student Union petitioned the Mayor to move the barge. In addition to the other schools, we are working with Borough of Manhattan Community College, Community Board 1, Independence Plaza Tenants' Association, Lower Manhattan Residents' Relief Coalition, NYC Coalition to End Lead Poisoning, Chinatown community organizations, unions, and others.
- Consultation with several major law firms. At the February 13 PA General Meeting, a motion was voted upon for the PA to retain legal counsel on a pro-bono basis (at no cost to the PA) to explore legal courses of action. We are currently talking to several law firms interested in taking our case. In the near future, parents will be called upon to vote on commencing litigation. Per the PA By-Laws, parents have to be present to vote.
Finally, I would like to bring to your attention that a minority of the Executive Board is opposed to asking the BOE to take action on the cleaning of the ducts and on the upgrade of the filtration systems. Also, this minority is opposed to legal action. In an effort to inform you of their point of view, enclosed is a statement signed by 12 of the 34 Executive Board Members. I believe the following addresses this minority group's major concerns:
- Regarding Air Quality at Stuyvesant:
We disagree with the statement of these Board members that "Air quality reports on the PA website indicate that for the last two months on-going air quality inside the school has been good".
As shown on the PA website, on several days since mid-December, particulates exceeded EPA regulatory levels for children. There were elevated lead levels in December, January, and February. On January 2, lead levels as high as 599 ug/sq.ft.were found, in excess of the regulatory limits of 40 ug/sq.ft.for floors and 250 ug/sq.ft.for windowsills, and on February 6 (even after the installation of the upgraded filters) elevated lead levels were found in all areas tested by the BOE.
(Please note that the BOE tests for lead only once per week).
- Regarding Cost of Litigation:
Any litigation will be on a pro-bono basis, i.e., the law firm will not charge the PA for any legal fees, which is by far the largest cost of any litigation. Regarding expenses of litigation, like photocopying of documents and court filing fees, the PA could decide to fund them up to a certain amount, i.e. say $5,000, and/or they could be funded by third parties. Certain parents have advised me of their willingness to pay for all of the PA's expenses, if needed.
>Regarding the BOE Spending Millions of Dollars for a Ventilation System at Stuyvesant, When Other Schools Have More Pressing Needs:
The proposed upgrade of the ventilation system to accommodate 90-95% efficiency protective filtration for our children (as compared to the current and inadequate 40% efficient filters) is estimated to cost $1.6 million.
It is our understanding that the BOE's reported $1 million cost to clean Stuyvesant in September and October, as well as the environmental testing costs, were paid by the federal agency FEMA, not by the BOE.
We consider the health of our children to be a very pressing need.
- Regarding Negative Attention for Stuyvesant:
We believe negative attention results from the proximity of the barge and the incidence of illness, rather than from any action taken by parents to protect their children.
- Regarding Absolute Safety:
As explained earlier, in the post-9/11 unprecedented and unknown environment, the environmental safety of Lower Manhattan is still very much in debate. We agree that the events of 9/11 created uncertainty. This is precisely the reason that we cannot rely on the BOE's unequivocal, absolute assurances on the safety of our children.
We are not looking for guarantees of absolute safety. We are looking for prudent, precautionary measures, consistent with actions taken by other buildings in the area, to safeguard the health and safety of our children and staff at Stuyvesant.
I hope this letter answers the questions raised by many of you. I also hope that we will all work together to address the challenges facing us, both in the short-term and during the major construction of Lower Manhattan. If any parent has comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Marilena Christodoulou, PA President
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