In a New York Times op-ed piece (October 3, 2018), Philip Landrigan, the director of the Global Public Health Initiative at Boston College, and Lynn R. Goldman, the dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, warn of the dangers to children’s health by the decision of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to place the director of the Office of Children’s Health Protection on “administrative leave” – a signal that the EPA may close the Office of Children’s Health Protection.
These events are significant for the children of the Park West Village neighborhood because the proposed construction of a 20-story nursing tower on the West 97th Street parking lot by Jewish Home Lifecare, next to P.S. 163, would unleash toxic airborne dust containing lead, mercury, arsenic, barium, and other volatile chemicals. The New York State Department of Health, in its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed project, stated, “The most likely routes of human exposure from the hazardous materials evaluated would occur during construction and would include the inhalation of VOCs [volatile organic compounds], the ingestion of particulate matter containing SVOCs [semi-volatile organic compounds] or metals or dermal (skin) contact with hazardous materials that can be released during soil-disturbing activities, such as excavation of soil and extraction of groundwater.” According to Landrigan and Goldman, “Exposure to chemicals is linked to a wide array of pediatric diseases. Lead and mercury can cause brain damage with loss of intelligence.”
The State Health Department found that although there were places on the proposed site where lead levels did exceed acceptable soil cleanup objectives, under current federal EPA standards these levels did not indicate a “soil-lead hazard.” However, a federal appeals court has ruled that the EPA’s dust-lead hazard standard is outdated and has ordered the EPA to update it. The court noted that in 2012 the federal Centers for Disease Control acknowledged that there is no known safe blood lead level and recommended a target amount that was half the EPA target amount to trigger a public health concern. To date, the EPA has not only failed to update the dust-lead standard but may be considering closing the Office of Children’s Health Protection and has eliminated the Office of Science Advisor.
The airborne dust from the proposed construction of the nursing home would enter P.S. 163 and the nearby Chabad Learning Center, as well as the surrounding buildings on West 97th Street and in Park West Village. The Remedial Action Plan ordered by the State Health Department imposes strict safety requirements for the workers on the proposed site, but for everyone else attending school or living in the area simply requires that “water will be available (and used as necessary) for sprinkling/wetting, to suppress dust, especially in dry weather.” This totally inadequate form of protection from airborne lead dust is an example of the way in which the State Health Department has ignored the concerns of the parents and children and neighbors of the Park West neighborhood regarding the hazards arising from the proposed construction of the nursing home.
These events are significant for the children of the Park West Village neighborhood because the proposed construction of a 20-story nursing tower on the West 97th Street parking lot by Jewish Home Lifecare, next to P.S. 163, would unleash toxic airborne dust containing lead, mercury, arsenic, barium, and other volatile chemicals. The New York State Department of Health, in its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed project, stated, “The most likely routes of human exposure from the hazardous materials evaluated would occur during construction and would include the inhalation of VOCs [volatile organic compounds], the ingestion of particulate matter containing SVOCs [semi-volatile organic compounds] or metals or dermal (skin) contact with hazardous materials that can be released during soil-disturbing activities, such as excavation of soil and extraction of groundwater.” According to Landrigan and Goldman, “Exposure to chemicals is linked to a wide array of pediatric diseases. Lead and mercury can cause brain damage with loss of intelligence.”
The State Health Department found that although there were places on the proposed site where lead levels did exceed acceptable soil cleanup objectives, under current federal EPA standards these levels did not indicate a “soil-lead hazard.” However, a federal appeals court has ruled that the EPA’s dust-lead hazard standard is outdated and has ordered the EPA to update it. The court noted that in 2012 the federal Centers for Disease Control acknowledged that there is no known safe blood lead level and recommended a target amount that was half the EPA target amount to trigger a public health concern. To date, the EPA has not only failed to update the dust-lead standard but may be considering closing the Office of Children’s Health Protection and has eliminated the Office of Science Advisor.
The airborne dust from the proposed construction of the nursing home would enter P.S. 163 and the nearby Chabad Learning Center, as well as the surrounding buildings on West 97th Street and in Park West Village. The Remedial Action Plan ordered by the State Health Department imposes strict safety requirements for the workers on the proposed site, but for everyone else attending school or living in the area simply requires that “water will be available (and used as necessary) for sprinkling/wetting, to suppress dust, especially in dry weather.” This totally inadequate form of protection from airborne lead dust is an example of the way in which the State Health Department has ignored the concerns of the parents and children and neighbors of the Park West neighborhood regarding the hazards arising from the proposed construction of the nursing home.
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