EPA to test homes near WTC in new program.The U.S Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and will be offering testing and cleaning services this fall to downtown residents who remain concerned that their homes may still be contaminated contaminated,v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with the toxic dust that blanked much of Lower Manhattan when the World Trade Center collapsed. Called the Indoor Residential Cleanup Program, the FEMA FEMA, n.pr See Federal Emergency Management Agency. funded service is the second of its kind to be offered since 9/11 and reveals the lingering worry among some residents over the presence of potentially health damaging chemicals. The program differs from the previous round of testing conducted in 2002 in that it is specifically aimed at finding and testing dust for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lead, asbestos, and manmade vitreous vitreous /vit·re·ous/ (vit´re-us) 1. glasslike or hyaline. 2. vitreous body. primary persistent hyperplastic vitreous fibers, four substances that the EPA's top scientists have said are prevalent toxins contained in the WTC WTC World Trade Center, see there dust and act as an "fingerprint" differentiating WTC from urban dust which can also contain contaminants. A spokesperson at the EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. said that dioxin dioxin Aromatic compound, any of a group of contaminants produced in making herbicides (e.g., Agent Orange), disinfectants, and other agents. Their basic chemical structure consists of two benzene rings connected by a pair of oxygen atoms; when substituents on the rings are , an organic compound that can cause cancer and a host of other illnesses and which has found in WTC dust, is too volatile a substance to still be present and therefore will not be included in the testing--a decision that has stirred controversy among some residents who have questioned whether the EPA's testing is comprehensive enough. Similar criticism was heaped on the EPA after its first testing and cleaning program in 2002, which tested the air in residents' homes mainly for asbestos. According to published reports, random wipe testing was done for heavy metal and dioxin contamination in 250 apartments. Residents at the time complained that every apartment should be tested for this kind of contamination and that checking just the air wasn't sufficient. Community concern prompted Senator Hillary Clinton to organize a panel in recent months to investigate whether a health risk remains downtown. EPA spokeswoman Mary Mears said that the upcoming testing, which will cost $7 million, should allay any worry. "We want to provide residents with assurance," Mears said. "No one wants people afraid to be in Lower Manhattan." |
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