632 Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248 (518) 455-4477 FAX (518) 455-4599

District Office: 619 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211 (718 383-7474 FAX (718) 383-1576

THE ASSEMBLY Chairman

STATE OF NEW YORK Committee on Codes

ALBANY COMMITTEES

Rules

Ways & Means

Election Law

JOSEPH R. LENTOL

Assemblyman 50th

District

Kings County

lentolj@assembly.state.ny.us

February 2, 2015

Commissioner Emily Lloyd

New York City Department of Environmental Protection

59-17 Junction Boulevard

Flushing, NY 11373

Commissioner Mary Bassett

New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene

42-09 28th

Street

Long Island City, NY 11101

Dear Commissioners,

I am writing to you regarding this weekend’s CitiStorage fire, which is located within my

Assembly District. I write to you jointly because I believe that jurisdiction over the health

and environmental concerns that remain in the fire’s aftermath fall to both respective

agencies. As you may know, CitiStorage held paper records for various New York City,

New York State, and private agencies. The amount of paper records stored there fueled

the fire for hours upon hours and required an incredible effort by the New York City Fire

Department to contain. During the duration of the fire, portions of my district were

covered in a plume of black smoke, charred paper, soot; and, foul odors ran rampant.

News reports have already cited this fire to be one of the worst in New York City. It is

still smoldering as I write this letter, and odors continue to permeate the area.

I am extremely concerned about the adverse health effects this fire has had on my

constituents. Residents in the area of the fire were issued a strong warning to stay indoors

and close the windows to their home. The pointedly strong wording about avoiding being

outdoors makes me very uneasy about the potential for adverse health effects on local

residents. My district has long had a history of environmental catastrophes that has

resulted in adverse health effects and I am concerned that this fire will follow suit.

632 Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248 (518) 455-4477 FAX (518) 455-4599

District Office: 619 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211 (718 383-7474 FAX (718) 383-1576

I respectfully request that any and all air and health monitoring and sampling should be

implemented as soon as possible to ensure there is no threat to residents or anyone else

that had been exposed. The public has a right to know about the potential hazards and

health risks that they may face. They should not suffer from environmental hazards that

were no fault of their own. I look forward to hearing from you and how the health of the

residents will be protected.

Sincerely,

Joseph R. Lentol