Maine-made unit to test air quality near WTC site

SANFORD – A Maine-made mobile air quality monitor will help New York City get a handle on the extent of air pollution in neighborhoods near the site of the World Trade Center.

The $250,000 unit, which is more than 12 feet tall and resembles a television news truck, was built by Sanford-based Ekto for the Center for Biology of Natural Systems of Queens College, City University of New York, which is embarking on a study of air quality and asthma.

It also will spend some time in Battery Park, to determine whether there still are airborne pollutants from the collapse of the Twin Towers after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“There is an issue of particles sitting on the ground from moving the debris,” said Holger Eisl, who is with the university. “And stuff is still flying around. We have never experienced anything like September 11. We want to know what happens. Is the air really acceptable? Is it clean? Is there reason for concern?”