MTA Monitors Air Quality at Second Ave. Construction Site
After months of complaints by workers and residents alike, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is now paying close attention to air quality around the Second Avenue subway construction zone, and they are sharing their information with the public.
According to DNAinfo.com, the MTA will be posting data online to prove that the air quality surrounding the site is safe. For weeks people have complained about the dust around the site, though the MTA says their tests show that the air is safe for everyone, including those working directly on the site. The website explains:
Every Wednesday the MTA will post updated air quality monitoring data from 10 locations between East 63rd to 96th streets on its website at www.mta.info/sasair for the pollutant, Particulate Matter 10. It can cause or aggravate such health problems as asthma, bronchitis or other lung diseases.
Data collected on this type of particulate matter, so far, show that its levels along the corridor for the $4.45 billion project are generally a third below the national standard set by the U.S. Environmental of Protection, MTA officials said.
“The bottom line is the air quality along the Second Avenue construction is good, and the air is safe to breathe,” said MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu. “The construction causes no damage to public health.”
Many residents have claimed that construction has caused or exacerbated asthma or other respiratory problems, calling it the “Second Avenue cough.”
The MTA’s results show the daily 24-hour readings of the pollutant, but Horodniceanu said that samples are collected minute-by-minute and if levels that exceed standards are found during a 15-minute window, an alarm goes off and contractors take immediate action.
Alarms have sounded once or twice, he said.
So far, the MTA has spent a reported $3.5 million measuring air quality on the 2nd Avenue site. Public acceptance of the site, and all of its issues, seems to be growing, as far fewer people are showing up at the Community Board 8’s Second Avenue Subway Task Force Meetings. The MTA has also increased newsletter communication and meetings in an effort to promote transparency. The bottom line: they want workers and residents to feel safe.
About Ginarte Law Firm
The attorneys with the Ginarte Law Firm are there to represent people injured in NY / NJ construction accidents. But not every accident involves a fall or faulty equipment. Inhalation of dangerous particles or chemical fumes can cause serious damage, too.
If you work on a site where you are expected to handle chemicals, or even if you are involved in the demolition of older construction, you could be at a particular risk for lung damage. If you’ve experienced an inhalation accident like this, we may be able to help.
Contact our construction attorneys today at 1-(888)-GINARTE for a free consultation on your case. You can also use our online contact form.
