Air Monitors To Be Added To Areas Hardest Hit By Sandy

City and state environmental agencies are adding three new air monitors in regions most affected by Superstorm Sandy. The air monitor stations will measure fine particle matter in order to collect data on what, if any, air contamination resulted from Sandy’s impact.

Air monitors have already been put in place in our area including at spots in Gerritsen Beach, Floyd Bennett Field and Mill Basin. These monitors, operated by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), have reported that “all readings were in compliance with federal standards.”

The new stations will be located near Holland Avenue in the Rockaways, Lincoln Avenue near Father Capodanno Boulevard in Staten Island and Water Street near John Street in Lower Manhattan.

According to a joint press release from the aforementioned DEC, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Health (DOH) and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), “[T]he state’s network of rooftop air monitors does not reveal a pattern of higher concentrations since Hurricane Sandy and DEP’s testing of asbestos at debris piles have also come back negative.”

In other words, so far, so good.

Even though the initial air quality reports seem promising, the DOHMH has created a Sandy Health Portal website, which provides information on outdoor air quality, vital mold cleanup tips for storm-damaged homes, and other health issues.