EPA Begins Cleaning Cars From WTC

Hundreds of cars damaged beyond repair in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers are being cleaned and prepared for destruction, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency said.

On May 13th, crews began washing and vacuuming about 900 cars that were cleared from parking garages and streets surrounding the trade center complex after Sept. 11, EPA spokeswoman Mary Mears said.

The dusty vehicles have been stored at a Staten Island landfill, where workers also sift through trade center debris for evidence, human remains and personal belongings.

After the cars have been cleaned, they will be taken by truck or barge to a recycling center in Jersey City, N.J., where they will be destroyed, Mears said.

"They're covered with the same dust that we found at ground zero, which we know did contain some asbestos," Mears said. "So rather than trying to test every piece of dust on the cars, we're taking the same approach that we did with dust on the street, in assuming that it does have some asbestos in it." Associated Press