Context of 'February 28, 2002: New York City School Board Member Recommends High School’s Air Ducts Be Cleaned'

The decision to reopen Stuyvesant High School in Lower Manhattan is made based on tests of indoor air samples taken by the EPA. Two EPA “On Scene-Coordinators” (OSCs) (see (8:50 a.m. EST) September 11, 2001) are present at the meeting and participate in the decision-making. One of the OSCs is Charlie Fitzsimmons. [Environmental Protection Agency National Ombudsman, 3/27/2002]

The Environmental Protection Agency outside air monitoring station at Stuyvesant High School records an asbestos level of 124 fibers per square millimeter, which significantly exceeds acceptable background levels. [New York Daily News, 12/20/2001]

Dr. David O. Carpenter from the School of Public Health at the University of Albany concludes in a detailed study that the Stuyvesant High School building “has not yet been proven safe.” [Environmental Protection Agency National Ombudsman, 3/27/2002]

New York City School Board member Irving Hamer Jr. recommends that Stuyvesant High School’s air ducts be cleaned during its spring break beginning March 28, 2002. [Environmental Protection Agency National Ombudsman, 3/27/2002]