Nadler Applauds MTA Decision to Halt Demolition Work at 189 Broadway

Transit officials realize environmental risk of demolishing contaminated building; put safety first

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler today applauded the MTA’s decision to freeze demolition work on 189 Broadway, a building slated to be taken down as construction of the Fulton Street Transit Center progresses.  Steps from Ground Zero, 189 Broadway was choked with toxic World Trade Center dust after the collapse of the Twin Towers.  A New York Times photograph taken shortly after the attacks shows the World of Golf store at 189 Broadway frosted with dust.  It is unclear what type of cleanup was undertaken in the two-story building, which housed several businesses at the time of the attacks.  

Demolishing 189 Broadway without taking into consideration potential WTC dust contamination could result in the release of more toxins into the Lower Manhattan air.  Apprised of these concerns,  MTA has agreed to delay the project until a more thorough and protective abatement plan can be reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency and shared with residents and elected officials.

“The MTA’s decision was smart and sound,” Congressman Nadler said.  “In what is, sadly, an aberration from usual practice in Lower Manhattan, a major agency has decided to put residents’ and workers’ safety first.  We’re all looking forward to the new Fulton Street station, but there is no excuse for sloppiness when lives could be on the line.”

Congressman Nadler raised concerns about the demolition with the MTA last week, which residents noticed was going forward without a proper plan in place to prevent the dispersion of WTC dust from the building.

“The truth is that 189 Broadway would be coming down right now if it weren’t for vigilant residents,” Congressman Nadler said.  “While the MTA is right to freeze demolition, we shouldn’t have to rely on a neighborhood watch system.  The city and state need to realize that these buildings still contain toxic dust – and that they need to be approached with great care.”

World Trade Center dust, long a concern of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn residents, is increasingly being recognized by scientists as a serious health threat.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a report detailing the breadth of respiratory ailments among survivors of the September 11 attacks.  And last week, a New Jersey coroner found that the death of NYPD Detective James Zadroga was caused by his exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero.

The interiors of homes and workplaces have never been systematically tested for or cleaned of contaminants, largely as a result of continual foot-dragging by the Environmental Protection Agency.  As downtown redevelopment progresses, sloppy demolition of contaminated buildings poses a constant environmental threat. 

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