Scariest building in New York." Why so scary? Because the building is "filled with a toxic brew of asbestos, lead, cadmium, dioxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other poisons deposited after the collapse of the twin towers." Do we forget the computer-animated demolition simulation the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. released, because it doesn't show those elements flying into the air? At the bottom of the article, there are explanations of why things like, oh, dioxin (you'll look like Viktor Yuschenko!) are dangerous, but what Gothamist found more helpful is the history of picking a contractor to do the clean-up (why Bovis replaced Gilbane Construction, and why some of Bovis' proposed ideas can't work). But most unsettling might be the fact some people at the LMDC's meetings about the demolition have been shushed (an LMDC spokesman told protesters, "Take your speeches outside!") and that some apartment buildings in the area have tested with higher-than-acceptable levels of asbestos. Deconstruction will take over a year, so Gothamist is sure environmental activists will be monitoring the project like a hawk.
The LMDC's latest plans for 130 Liberty Street.
