NY Cleans up After Asbestos-Tainted Explosion
Date: 20-Jul-07
Country: US
Author: Christine Kearney
An area beside Manhattan's Grand Central Station remained closed following the blast that shook buildings on Wednesday evening, creating a towering geyser of debris and sending people fleeing in scenes reminiscent of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Authorities said while the debris from the blast contained asbestos, no airborne samples of the dangerous carcinogen were detected after the blast at about 6 p.m.
The incident killed one person and injured more than 30, breaking windows in nearby buildings.
Some New Yorkers questioned if the air was safe after false assurances following the Sept. 11 attacks and after utility Consolidated Edison admitted covering up that a steam pipe explosion in 1989, which claimed three lives, spewed asbestos into a residential neighborhood.
Carlos Garcia, an engineer wearing a breathing mask, said he volunteered during the clean-up of the World Trade Center site and would not take any risks now.
"I'm worried about the air ... I survived once so I want to survive the second time," he said. "They lie and they want to cover themselves. They have been lying all along since the World Trade Center."
Residents and workers at Ground Zero were reassured by the Environmental Protection Agency in the days after the Sept. 11 attacks that the air was safe, but dust samples taken at the time found dangerous levels of asbestos.
"If police are here wearing these masks there must be an issue (with the air)," said Marvin Factor, 60, a banker who could reach his office. "We deserve to know."
New York City's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said that of eight air samples taken from near Wednesday's steam pipe blast, none had tested positive for asbestos, a once-popular fire retardant and known carcinogen.
But OEM said brief exposure to asbestos is unlikely to have long-term health consequences.
ConEd appealed for anyone in the explosion area to hand in any belongings covered in dust or debris in a plastic bag, so they can be disposed of safely, and urged people still inside buildings in the blast zone to keep windows closed.
MEMORIES OF 9/11
Officials ruled out terrorism for the blast which sent boiling, brownish water and steam gushing some 120 feet (36 metres) high, suggesting cold water on the pipe as the cause.
Normal subway service resumed on Thursday, but about 20 blocks remained closed to traffic.
The explosion left a crater about 20 feet (6 metres) wide on Lexington Avenue at 41st Street, one of the busiest areas of New York City near the Grand Central transportation hub.
The scene of the explosion evoked memories of buildings collapsing in a billow of debris as they did on Sept. 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan was destroyed.
Pedestrians sprinted from the scene on Thursday, many with cell phones stuck to their ears, some crying. Some were covered in white ash and soot, others in mud. Newspapers showed pictures of shoes lying on the street, discarded as people fled.
The New York Post headline dubbed the blast a "Midtown Volcano," and the Daily News said "The Earth Opened."
The steam pipe of 24 inches (60 cm) in diameter was installed under Lexington Avenue in 1924. Its explosion is the latest public embarrassment for ConEd, which is under scrutiny for power blackouts.
While most New York buildings use electricity, there remains an aging network of steam pipes beneath the city which is used to power ConEd turbines to make electricity. ConEd took over New York Steam Corp in the 1950s. The steam also provides heat to some large buildings and air conditioning with the use of compressors.