"There are no concerns that the Second Avenue subway construction is causing any danger to the public's health," says an MTA construction official. He goes on to say, "On three days in the month long monitoring, in which the levels of particulate matter measured higher, the report concludes they were primarily attributed to local traffic emissions, other local sources such as commercial and residential boilers with no significant contribution from blasting activities."
The air quality issues and the blasting, seen in video appearing on several websites focusing on the project, had drawn concerns triggering the need for the study. Ten monitoring stations were set up for the testing between East 69th and East 87th Streets collecting data during September and October of last year.
While some area residents are skeptical of the findings, they do see improvements.
"At these so called 'muck houses' where construction debris and equipment go in and out of the tunnel, measures have been taken to control and mitigate the dust utilizing water sprays and suppression systems," the MTA states.
Others who work in the area do believe additional monitoring should occur.
The report recommends further monitoring as the project moves toward its completion in 2016.
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