May 2007
Evaluation of a Building Impacted by the Collapse of the World Trade Center on September 2001
Our Challenge
- We were retained to determine whether World Trade Center (WTC) dust entered the inner wall spaces of a large skyscraper, which then might require a complex tear out of all walls and electrical systems.
Our Approach
- We used several methods to evaluate the likelihood that significant amount of dioxins and asbestos in dust has permeated the walls.
- Analyzed over 25,000 environmental samples (with 100,000 chemical analyses)
- Conducted a risk assessment based on bulk and surface dust
- Applied chemical fingerprinting methods that relied on concentrations of metals in bulk dust
Our Findings
- WTC dust was not present in the interstitial wall cavities of this building.
- Health risks were not associated with the residual (post cleaning) dust found throughout the building
- Analysis influenced a $400 million decision