[CPEO-BIF] New York Assembly Committee calls for heightened protection from TCE

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Toughen TCE limits, report says
Assembly panel wants more done about vapor intrusion

By Tom Wilber
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin (NY)

Vapor intrusion — a type of pollution affecting hundreds of properties 
in the Southern Tier — has the potential to cause serious illnesses, and 
the state isn't doing enough to protect people, according to a 
comprehensive evaluation to be released today by the state Assembly's 
Committee on Environmental Conservation.

The 132-page report, which summarizes information from public hearings 
held throughout the state last year, recommends the state Department of 
Health develop a guideline that limits exposure to trichloroethylene 
(TCE) vapors to 0.02 micrograms per cubic meter of air — 250 times lower 
than the current guideline of 5 micrograms.

The report also cites inconsistencies and "lack of transparency" in the 
health department's decision-making regarding what properties need to be 
cleaned and at what levels. It recommends properties near contaminated 
sites be tested when residents or occupants request, and more aggressive 
and comprehensive testing and cleanup measures.

...

Landlords of buildings affected by vapor intrusion should be required to 
sample and clean properties and show test results to tenants, according 
to the report from the state assembly's Committee On Environmental 
Conservation being issued today.

For the entire article, see
http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060202/NEWS01/602020336/1006

For the actual report of the Assembly Committee, see
http://assembly.state.ny.us/comm/Encon/20060201/

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org


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