MTA Assures Air Quality on L Line Is Safe, Despite Odor
The MTA maintains the air along the L train line is safe, a day after fumes from heating oil caused at least one person to pass out.
The smell at the Graham Avenue stop in Williamsburg Tuesday was so powerful at least one subway rider fainted, according to witnesses. Service was suspended for hours between Manhattan and Brooklyn as the MTA investigated.
The agency initially believed the smell was leftover fumes from diesel work trains passing through the stations, but later determined it was from heating oil on the tracks. A spokesman said the air quality was tested at all stations and found to be safe.
MTA's Chief Safety Officer Pat Warren reiterated that assurance on Wednesday after visiting the Graham Avenue station, where the odor lingered but was said to be dissipating.
"I was to reassure all New Yorkers that the air on the L train and in the stations is 100 percent safe," he said. "The DEC and FDNY, globally recognized experts in this work, have made it very clear that there is absolutely no risk to the public, and we are continuously monitoring the air quality for even small variations."
FDNY spokesman Jim Long said the department did test the air quality on Tuesday, and determined collectively with the MTA and the DEP was safe. But the FDNY was not asked to test the air again on Wednesday.
It's not clear where the heating oil came from or how it got onto the tracks.
Josh Fidanque of Brooklyn said he was riding on a crowded train Tuesday morning without much circulation when another rider collapsed near the First Avenue stop in Manhattan. He said he and several other riders helped the man, who quickly came to and didn't need any help.
Fidanque said that he too felt lightheaded after passing by the smell on his way home from work Monday night, and again while heading to his office at the World Trade Center on Tuesday morning.
"It's a relief once you get out of there," he said. "Can finally breathe again."
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from NBC New York - Top Stories http://bit.ly/2WM1AZ6
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