World Trade Center: EPA's Most Recent Test and Clean Program	 
Raises Concerns That Need to Be Addressed to Better Prepare for  
Indoor Contamination Following Disasters (05-SEP-07,		 
GAO-07-1091).							 
                                                                 
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and World Trade Center 
(WTC) collapse blanketed Lower Manhattan in dust from building	 
debris. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)	 
conducted an indoor clean and test program from 2002 to 2003. In 
2003, EPA's Inspector General (IG) recommended improvements to	 
the program and identified lessons learned for EPA's preparedness
for future disasters. In 2004, EPA formed an expert panel to,	 
among other goals, guide EPA in developing a second voluntary	 
program; EPA announced this program in 2006. As requested, GAO's 
report primarily addresses EPA's second program, including the	 
(1) extent to which EPA incorporated IG and expert panel member  
recommendations and input; (2) factors, if any, limiting the	 
expert panel's ability to meet its goals; (3) completeness of	 
information EPA provided to the public; (4) way EPA estimated	 
resources for the program; and (5) extent to which EPA has acted 
upon lessons learned regarding indoor contamination from	 
disasters.							 
-------------------------Indexing Terms------------------------- 
REPORTNUM:   GAO-07-1091					        
    ACCNO:   A75667						        
  TITLE:     World Trade Center: EPA's Most Recent Test and Clean     
Program Raises Concerns That Need to Be Addressed to Better	 
Prepare for Indoor Contamination Following Disasters		 
     DATE:   09/05/2007 
  SUBJECT:   Contamination					 
	     Emergency preparedness				 
	     Environmental monitoring				 
	     Health hazards					 
	     Program evaluation 				 
	     Program management 				 
	     Public health					 
	     Strategic planning 				 
	     Terrorism						 
	     Cost estimates					 
	     Program goals or objectives			 
	     Program implementation				 
	     World Trade Center (NY)				 
	     National Response Plan				 

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GAO-07-1091

   

     * [1]Results in Brief
     * [2]Background
     * [3]EPA Incorporated Some Recommendations, but It Did Not Adopt

          * [4]EPA Expanded the Number of Contaminants It Will Evaluate in
          * [5]EPA Is Not Assessing the Extent of WTC Contamination, and It

     * [6]Two Factors Limited the Expert Panel's Ability to Meet Its G

          * [7]EPA Officials Believed That Some Panel Goals Were More Appro
          * [8]EPA's Management of the Panel Process Was Problematic, Accor
          * [9]Most Expert Panel Members Did Not Believe They Addressed the

     * [10]EPA Did Not Provide the Public with Complete Information to
     * [11]EPA Did Not Assess Resource Needs for the Second Program

          * [12]EPA Is Implementing the Second Program with $7 Million and

     * [13]EPA Has Taken Preparedness Actions, but Some Concerns Remain

          * [14]EPA Has Taken Preparedness Actions Following the WTC Disaste
          * [15]EPA Has Not Demonstrated How It Will Overcome Methodological

     * [16]Conclusions
     * [17]Recommendations for Executive Action
     * [18]Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

          * [19]EPA Received Authority to Classify Information Related to Na
          * [20]EPA Originally Classified Information in Three Documents
          * [21]Information EPA Originally Classified Does Not Concern the E

     * [22]GAO Comments
     * [23]GAO Contact
     * [24]Staff Acknowledgments
     * [25]GAO's Mission
     * [26]Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony

          * [27]Order by Mail or Phone

     * [28]To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs
     * [29]Congressional Relations
     * [30]Public Affairs

                 United States Government Accountability Office

Report to Congressional Requesters

GAO

                                 September 2007

WORLD TRADE CENTER

EPA's Most Recent Test and Clean Program Raises Concerns That Need to Be
Addressed to Better Prepare for Indoor Contamination Following Disasters

GAO-07-1091

WORLD TRADE CENTER

EPA's Most Recent Test and Clean Program Raises Concerns That Need to Be
Addressed to Better Prepare for Indoor Contamination Following Disasters

                                 What GAO Found

EPA has incorporated some recommendations and input from the IG and expert
panel members into its second program, but its decision not to include
other items may limit the overall effectiveness of this program. For
example, while EPA agreed to test for more contaminants, it did not agree
to evaluate risks in areas north of Canal Street and in Brooklyn. EPA
reported that it does not have a basis for expanding the boundaries of its
program because it cannot distinguish between normal urban, or background,
dust and WTC dust.

The expert panel's ability to meet its goals was limited by two factors:
(1) EPA officials' belief that some panel goals were more appropriately
addressed by other agencies, and (2) EPA's approach to managing the panel
process. Furthermore, the majority of expert panel members believe the
panel did not meet any of its goals, and that EPA's second program does
not respond to the concerns of residents and workers affected by the
disaster.

EPA's second plan does not fully inform the public about the results of
its first program. EPA concluded that a "very small" number of samples
from its first program exceeded risk levels for airborne asbestos.
However, EPA did not provide information such as how representative the
samples were of the affected area. Residents who could have participated
in this voluntary second program might have opted not to do so because of
EPA's conclusion about its first program.

EPA did not develop a comprehensive cost estimate to determine the
resources needed to carry out its second program. EPA is implementing this
program with $7 million remaining from its first program.

While EPA has acted upon lessons learned following this disaster, some
concerns remain about its preparedness to respond to indoor contamination
following future disasters. Specifically, EPA has not developed protocols
on how and when to collect data to determine the extent of indoor
contamination, one of the concerns raised by panel members.

 View of WTC Towers Collapse between 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on September 11,
                                      2001

Source: New York Police Department Photo Unit.

                 United States Government Accountability Office

*** End of document. ***