When a steam pipe ruptured in a New York City street on July 19 2007, the major health concern was the possibility of asbestos exposure. The 83 year old pipe burst, spraying a geyser of steam, dirt and debris hundreds of feet into the air. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's major concern was the danger of asbestos contamination. Many of the pipes that run under nearly every street in the city are wrapped in asbestos, and while most asbestos related diseases are linked to long-term exposure, asbestos-related illnesses in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center are raising some serious questions about the effect of short-term exposure to high concentrations of asbestos.

With an estimated population of 19.3 million, New York City is by far the largest city in the United States. It is home to major industries, a financial center and a central transportation hub for road, rail and waterways. Over the years, each of these factors have contributed to the overall danger of asbestos exposure in New York City, both historically and to the current day.

Statistical Data

County	Asbestosis	Mesothelioma	Meso High	Total	High
Queens	62	228	429	290	491
Kings	36	146	260	182	296
Richmond	17	24	40	41	57
Bronx	24	69	122	93	146
New York	18	75	143	93	161
Totals	157	542	994	699	1151

According to data compiled by the Environmental Working Group using statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, New York State ranks third in the nation for asbestos related deaths when considering the raw data. When the raw data is modified to reflect population, the state ranks 4th in the nation. The figures below were drawn from the county by county breakdown of mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths in the state of New York from 1979 through 2000.

** The government did not begin tracking mesothelioma separately as a cause of death until 1998. When they did, the mortality rate nationwide for deaths from mesothelioma more than doubled. The lower number in each range represents an estimated mortality rate based on asbestos cancers that were thought to be mesothelioma. The higher range reflects the mesothelioma rate if one assumes that the incidence during the earlier years was actually twice that reflected by government statistics.

Note also that these figures do not reflect asbestos-related non-mesothelioma deaths. If those figures are added in, the mortality rates arising from asbestos exposure could be far higher.

Historical Asbestos Exposure Sites

As a center of industry, transportation and population, New York City has a very large number of historical asbestos exposure sites. From before World War I through the late 1970s, asbestos was widely used in construction, particularly the construction of skyscrapers and public buildings. The steel I beams that formed the skeletal frames of NYC's famous skyline were often powder-coated with asbestos containing paints to resist heat and provide fire resistance. Inside the buildings, construction workers used hundreds of asbestos-containing products on a daily basis, including pipe insulation, wall board, plaster board, fireproof paints and ceiling coats, floor tiles and adhesives that contained asbestos and more. As in most other cities, any person who worked around construction sites before OSHA instituted safety procedures was probably exposed to asbestos on a daily basis.

Some of the known exposure sites in and around New York City include:

Existing Asbestos Exposure Hazards

While the use of asbestos in construction has been partially banned since 1979, there are still serious asbestos exposure hazards in and around New York City. Any building constructed before 1979, and especially those constructed in the years following World War II, is very likely to contain asbestos. Those buildings include public offices, office buildings, schools, shopping malls, apartment buildings and private homes. Any repairs or renovations to those buildings risk disturbing materials that contain asbestos. Plumbers, electricians, janitors and other facilities maintenance staff in older buildings could be at risk for asbestos exposure.

There have been numerous reports in the news of asbestos in older school buildings. The issue of asbestos in the New York City public school buildings is not a new one. Twenty-one years ago, the New York Times printed that "New York City's schools opened this week under a cloud with an asbestos lining." While many NYC public schools have been renovated and asbestos encapsulated or removed since then, there are still incidents of asbestos releases, and in January 2008, a 22 year veteran of the New York City Department of Education filed suit against the DOE, claiming that he had been demoted when he spoke out about the way that the DOE is dealing - or not dealing - with reports of friable asbestos in older school buildings.

World Trade Center Asbestos Response

Following the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11, New York City began air quality monitoring in lower Manhattan to measure the amount of asbestos in the air. Air sampling results and reports are posted at the New York City DEP web site (http://nyc.gov/html/dep/html/air_and_noise/airmonit_wide.shtml) along with information on school air quality monitoring in the wake of 9/11 and links to information on decontamination, building facade cleaning and other regulations. According to the interpretation offered on those pages, the levels of airborne asbestos at 39 selected sites in lower Manhattan did not ever rise above the levels that require emergency intervention. A closer look at the actual data (not posted until November 2006) shows that while the levels do not exceed AHERA standards that require evacuation and remediation, many of those samples did show levels above 'normal' asbestos levels. In addition, local residents were told for months after the attacks to regularly vacuum their homes with HEPA approved vacuum cleaners and wipe down surfaces with damp cloths to remove "particulate matter" - asbestos and other debris - in dust that continued to settle during the cleanup and aftermath of the attacks.

In the aftermath of 9/11, New York City clinics and medical centers have been reporting high levels of respiratory diseases and conditions, including asbestosis and mesothelioma in first responders, rescue workers and lower Manhattan workers and residents. The city, state and federal government agencies have instituted monitoring programs to track those illnesses despite the fact that the EPA soft-pedaled the dangers of asbestos exposure in the months following the attack. In April 2006, Mount Sinai Medical Center released a statement that noted that nearly 70% of those who were involved in WTC rescue and recovery work exhibited persistent and continuing upper respiratory symptoms, and that an alarmingly high number had died of lung and other respiratory cancers.

The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program is headquartered at Mount Sinai Medical Center. For more information about the health effects and treatment options of those exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances after 9/11, visit the program's website at http://wtcexams.org.

Asbestos in the News

On May 19, 2008, ten months to the day from the major water main break that sent a "skyscraper high" geyser of asbestos-contaminated mud and debris into the air, another water main break raised the specter of asbestos exposure. An 85 year old pipe under West 57th Street burst, causing the pavement to buckle and spewing mud up and down the street. A sample of mud taken before repairs began was contaminated with asbestos. NYC officials speculated that the flood from the burst pipe had dislodged asbestos wrappings from a nearby ConEd pipe. Air quality monitoring continued throughout the cleanup.

Regulations and Regulatory Agencies

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has rules regarding the proper handling and disposal of asbestos. Those rules can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ei/eiasbest.shtml.

For more information about asbestos in New York City or to report problems with asbestos in New York City, dial 311.

Legal Issues

If you have been exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestosis, you may have a legal right to compensation for your injuries. A New York City mesothelioma lawyer is most familiar with the rules, regulations and environment surrounding asbestos-related litigation in the New York courts. If you or someone you know has concerns about asbestos exposure and your rights to compensation, contact a New York City asbestos lawyer to learn more.

Treatment Centers

Treatment centers participating in the WTC examination and monitoring program include:

Manhattan
Mount Sinai - I. J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine
10 East 101st Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10029
Telephone: (212) 241-1554
Website: http://www.mssm.edu/cpm/selikoff_clinical_center/
(Exams also conducted in Spanish and Polish)

Bellevue Hospital Center/NYU School of Medicine
Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine
462 First Avenue at 27th Street
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (212) 562-4573
(Exams also conducted in Spanish)

Queens
Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, Queens College
163-03 Horace Harding Expressway
Flushing, NY 11365
Telephone: (718) 670-4216
(Exams also conducted in Spanish)

Long Island - Suffolk County
Long Island World Trade Center Monitoring and Treatment Programs
3001 Expressway Drive North, Suite 200A
Islandia, NY 11749
Telephone: (631) 444-6436

Long Island - Nassau County
Long Island World Trade Center Monitoring and Treatment Programs
2201 Hempstead Turnpike Box 36
East Meadow, NY 11554
Telephone: (516) 572-0117 or (516) 572-1303

New Jersey - Piscataway
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute
170 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Telephone: (732) 445-0123 Ext. 600
Website: http://www.eohsi.rutgers.edu/

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