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ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND MODELING ASSOCIATED WITH NATIONAL EMERGENCIES - EXPERIENCES GAINED FROM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER
Citation:
Vette, A F., S C. Hern, M. Kantz, J N. Blancato, A H. Huber, H.D A. Lindquist, AND M N. Lorber. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND MODELING ASSOCIATED WITH NATIONAL EMERGENCIES - EXPERIENCES GAINED FROM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER. Presented at Science Forum 2003, Washington, DC, May 5-7, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
The main objectives of this research are to measure ambient concentrations of PM and related air toxics in lower Manhattan as they pertain to transport of PM and air toxics emitted in the vicinity of the WTC recovery site.
Description:
A workshop was held in Research Triangle Park, NC on November 18-19, 2002 to discuss scientific issues associated with measuring, modeling, and assessing exposure and risk to air containing contaminants generated as a result of national emergencies and disasters. Participants were invited from throughout the U.S. EPA and other Federal Agencies to share the experiences learned during the response to the collapse and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center. More than 50 participants from across EPA (including ORD, OSWER, Region 2, OERR, OPP, OPPTS, OAQPS, and OIG), and from CDC, NIOSH, DOE, and academia attended. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss how the Office of Research and Development can apply its expertise in human exposure and risk assessment in an emergency response situation to protect human health, and make our lessons learned available to others. Issues that were discussed at the workshop included: (1) identifying the types of airborne hazards likely to emerge during national emergencies and the appropriate measurement techniques for applicable risk assessment benchmark levels, (2) available models that could initially be used for dispersion estimates to assist in establishing a monitoring plan and those that can then be applied to understand and predict human exposures as well as spatial and temporal dynamics of pollutant transport, (3) approaches for risk assessment and risk communications, and (4) the challenges associated with integrating research into an emergency response. The major recommendations from the workshop along with a summary of the presentations and discussions will be synthesized into a report. This report will be of use to the U.S. EPA and other agencies as they respond to future emergencies and disasters.