The levels of harmful contaminants at Superstorm Sandy cleanup sites in New York and New Jersey have so far not exceed federal workplace exposure limits, officials said Wednesday.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration tested dozens of cleanup sites, measuring worker exposure to toxic substances. The agency fanned out to workplaces and debris sites ranging from beaches to landfills, testing for airborne contaminants and taking samples from bulk debris and storm water.
Some sites showed the presence of contaminants including asbestos, carbon monoxide, lead and silica. Others had increased levels of noise. None, however, were above OSHA‘s permissible exposure limits.
Among the jobs being done include debris and sand removal, tree cutting and cleanup at sites previously known to be contaminated. Other testing came after an employee complained about fumes or air quality.
Results of some tests of the test sites — which include private businesses, parks and roads — are still pending. The agency tested residential demolition sites, but not inside private homes.
“These initial results should not be taken by employers as an “all clear” signal regarding potential exposure to health hazards,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA‘s regional administrator in New York, in a statement. “It is important that each employer continually ensure that workers are not overexposed.”
The agency said it continues to monitor sites and look for “additional potential contamination left behind in structures as well as in cleanup and recovery process areas where workers may be exposed to additional health hazards.” It will post results on its Hurricane Sandy page.
OSHA representatives have also been talking to employees at worksites about workplace rights and safety.
OSHA did not test sites that were previously known to be contaminated, such as an oil refinery where a spill occurred. If a spill happened inside a business that handles hazardous materials, it is up to the employer to clean it, assess employee exposure and deem the site safe to return to work.
Paul J. Lioy, a professor and vice chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and expert on toxic exposure, said storms like Sandy tend can dilute chemicals, but they can also push them around. It is no surprise that the results are not all in, he said, because testing takes time.
It is hard to know what toxins the storm could have washed in.
“We have no idea what’s in the soil that’s washed up from sediment that’s coming through flooding or through the groundwater, but they’re testing the right things,” Lioy said. “You test for metals and you test for some organics, you test for highly toxic stuff.”
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