Help's out there, but who knew?

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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/8939p-8406c.html

Lucy Komisar: Help's out there, but who knew?

By LUCY KOMISAR

A federal-state program to protect people who live in the city from asbestos

by reimbursing them for air purifiers, vacuums and air conditioners is so

hush-hush that most people don't know about it. As a result, though 3

million New York City households are eligible to get up to $1,600, only

about 1% - 31,000 - have applied. The subsidies are part of the post-9/11

cleanup to eliminate asbestos that might be nestling in household dust or

sucked into air conditioners. State Labor Department officials administering

the grants have sponsored no public information campaign about them.

Officials give conflicting answers about whether approval is needed to

purchase items. Sogol of the office of state Sen. Duane

(D-Manhattan) learned that an Individual and Family Grant helpline is always

busy because of lack of staff.

New Yorkers, who may risk asbestos poisoning, have a right to know about

these grants.

Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Mears explained, " When the

Trade Centers collapsed, tremendous dust was produced. We took street

samples, and about a third contained asbestos. We feel the prudent thing is

to get rid of as much of this dust as possible to reduce potential risk. "

High-efficiency particle arresting - HEPA - vacuum cleaners filter out dust

and asbestos. They remove 99.97% of harmful particles, including dust mites,

mold spores, pet dander, allergens and even anthrax spores.

Should one worry 10 months after the event?

" If you have asbestos in your home, it can get kicked up. It's the buildup

over long periods that counts, " Mears said. " The risk is low, but if it's a

simple matter of getting rid of the dust, let's get rid of the dust. "

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state will reimburse

households in the city up to $500 for HEPA air purifiers, $300 for extra

filters, $300 for the vacuums and $500 for replacing or repairing air

conditioners affected by dust or debris or damaged in the attack on the twin

towers.

Special arrangements may be made for people lacking funds up front.

Three-quarters of the subsidy comes from the $21.5 billion federal 9/11

disaster aid package, the rest from the state.

To apply, call FEMA at (800) 462-9029 through September. For information,

see www.fema.gov. The grant helpline is (866) 346-0348. Also, turn in old

air conditioners by Sept. 20 for a $75 bounty if the new model meets

high-efficiency standards. Call (877) 697-6278 or log on to

www.getenergysmart.org for information.

You'd think New Yorkers would be signing up in droves. They would if the

state only told them about it.

Komisar is a New York journalist

whose windows face the World Trade Center site