NEWS  RELEASE    For  Immediate  Release:               Contact:  Wednesday  February  4,  2015             Emily  Gallagher,  646-­‐262-­‐6583                     Mike  Schade,  718-­‐873-­‐3505    

Brooklyn  Residents  Call  on  Mayor  de  Blasio  to  Examine  the  City’s  Environmental    and  Public  Health  Response  to  Williamsburg  Fire  

 Advocates  Launch  Change.org  Petition,  Call  on  Mayor  to  Monitor  Site  for  Toxins  &  Develop  a  Robust  Air  Monitoring  Program  for  Future  Commercial/Industrial  Fires    

 WILLIAMSBURG,  BROOKLYN-­‐-­‐  While  a  seven-­‐alarm  industrial  fire  in  the  popular  and  growing  residential  waterfront  of  North  Brooklyn  continues  to  burn,  a  coalition  of  local  neighborhood  activists  are  demanding  the  City  be  more  vigilant,  and  have  launched  a  new  petition  on  Change.org.    The  petition  calls  on  the  De  Blasio  administration  to  take  the  lead  in  developing  and  implementing  a  more  comprehensive  environmental  and  public  health  plan  as  a  response  to  the  fire  and  future  commercial/industrial  fires  like  it.  “Mayor  de  Blasio  promised  his  administration  would  focus  on  at-­‐risk  residents,”  said  Emily  Gallagher,  a  10-­‐year  Greenpoint  resident,  community  activist  and  board  member  of  Neighbors  Allied  for  Good  Growth  (NAG),  one  of  the  organizations  behind  the  coalition.  “Responsibly  caring  for  and  cleaning  up  toxic  communities  is  a  part  of  that.”    New  York  City  Council  Member  Stephen  Levin  stated  “Last  weekend's  7-­‐alarm  fire  has  raised  serious  health  concerns  for  residents  in  North  Brooklyn  and  it  is  crucial  that  the  City  does  everything  in  its  power  to  address  these  concerns.  We  are  thankful  for  the  response  by  the  City  -­‐  especially  our  brave  firefighters  who  are  working  tirelessly  -­‐  to  put  out  the  fire  and  protect  the  immediate  neighborhood  from  grave  harm,  but  there  needs  to  be  a  more  thorough,  and  coordinated  effort  to  address  the  broader  community  impacts  of  fires  of  this  magnitude.  Our  communities  have  historically  been  forced  to  deal  with  significant  health  and  environmental  risks  and  we  must  ensure  their  health  and  safety  in  the  wake  of  this  fire,  as  well  as  those  that  may  occur  in  the  future.”    Assemblyman  Joe  Lentol  said,  “Right  now  we  need  to  look  at  the  direct  effects  of  this  devastating  fire.  Luckily,  no  one  was  harmed  during  the  fire,  but  we  need  to  make  sure  there  are  no  environmental  or  health  conditions  to  worry  about  and  I  urge  all  relevant  agencies  to  address  this  issue  as  soon  as  possible.  I  have  written  a  letter  to  the  commissioners  of  the  New  York  City  Department  of  Health  &  Mental  Hygiene  and  the  New  York  City  Department  of  Environmental  Protection  requesting  their  support  and  I  look  forward  to  their  assistance.”    Lentol  added,  “I  would  also  add  that  if  there  are  no  long  lasting  contaminants  at  the  site  then  the  community  would  benefit  from  additional  open  space,  and  I  would  like  to  have  that  conversation  in  the  near  future.”    "New  Yorkers  need  to  have  confidence  that  when  there  are  major  disasters,  like  the  fire  in  Williamsburg,  the  broad  impact  is  handled  with  the  same  urgency  as  the  event  itself"  said  State  Senator  Daniel  Squadron.  "I  look  

forward  to  better  understanding  the  process  of  public  engagement  in  crises,  and  working  together  with  NAG,  the  community,  the  City  and  my  colleagues  on  improvements."    “It  no  secret  to  people  living  in  these  communities  the  volume  of,  and  proximity  to,  toxic  and  hazardous  sites.  Many  of  these  plots  or  buildings  have  been  included  in  state  or  federal  cleanup  efforts,  but  until  they  are  fully  remediated  they  remain  a  danger,  especially  in  the  event  of  a  fire  or  similar  disaster.  Immediate  response  and  notification  of  any  impending  danger  to  first  responders  and  nearby  communities  must  be  a  priority,”  said  State  Senator  Martin  Malavé  Dilan.    Over  the  past  year,  three  major  commercial  or  industrial  fires  have  occurred  in  the  communities  of  Williamsburg,  Greenpoint  and  Bushwick.    Aside  from  the  most  recent  fire  in  Williamsburg,  most  of  these  events  have  gone  under-­‐reported  and  little  to  no  public  information  was  released  regarding  the  potential  health  and  safety  hazards  presented  by  these  fires.    Historically,  these  communities  have  been  overburdened  by  pollution  from  toxic  waste  sites,  waste  transfer  stations,  a  sewage  treatment  plant,  radioactive  waste  storage  site,  and  Superfund  sites.  In  addition,  many  presently  operating  businesses  rely  upon  the  usage  or  presence  of  specific  chemicals  on-­‐site.  When  there  is  a  fire  on  a  property  containing  chemicals  or  a  toxic  legacy,  there  is  an  exponential  increase  in  the  likelihood  of  neighborhood  exposure  to  the  chemicals  on-­‐site,  including  chemicals  which  are  potentially  hazardous  to  human  health.  Toxic  chemicals  like  dioxins  and  furans,  volatile  organic  compounds  (VOC’s)  and  elevated  particulate  matter  are  some  of  the  potentially  hazardous  chemicals  that  may  be  released  in  the  event  of  a  major  commercial/industrial  fire.      "Why  did  it  take  15  hours  for  the  NYC  Health  Department  to  issue  a  warning  for  residents  in  the  surrounding  area  to  stay  indoors  to  protect  themselves  from  toxic  smoke  inhalation?  By  that  hour,  most  of  the  community  had  unfortunately  already  been  exposed  to  the  smoke  and  many  smelled  it  in  their  own  homes,"  said  Mike  Schade,  a  Greenpoint  resident  and  environmental  health  advocate.  "There  was  a  slow  response  for  an  event  of  this  magnitude,  as  the  fire  is  one  of  the  worst  in  NYC  since  9/11.    We  hope  the  Mayor  will  take  a  close  look  at  this  and  identify  ways  to  improve  how  NYC  environmental  and  health  agencies  responds  to  fires  like  this  in  the  future.”    Greenpoint  Waterfront  Association  for  Parks  and  Planning  (GWAPP)  President  Richard  Mazur  said  "GWAPP  fully  supports  this  petition  to  investigate  past  disasters  and  protect  our  community  from  future  ones.  North  Brooklyn  is  no  stranger  to  the  impact  of  toxins  -­‐  whether  from  spills  or  fires  -­‐  and  we  must  continue  to  hold  the  de  Blasio  administration's  feet  to  the  fire  when  it  comes  to  full  disclosure  of  associated  public  health  risks."    Willis  Elkins,  Program  Manager  for  Newtown  Creek  Alliance,  said  "Again  and  again  communities  situated  near  industrial  areas  are  subjected  to  disproportionate  health  risks  and  receive  inadequate  information  and  attention  in  the  wake  of  incidents  like  the  recent  large  fires  in  North  Brooklyn.  We  urge  the  city  to  make  monitoring  of  environmental  conditions,  such  as  air  and  water  quality,  and  the  impact  on  community  health  a  clear  priority  in  cleanup  efforts  and  emergency  response  going  forward."    Attention  Reporters:  The  new  petition  to  Mayor  De  Blasio  is  available  online  at  www.change.org/nyctoxicfires  

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