MTA crews are stripping toxic lead paint from the elevated M train tracks at Myrtle Avenue in Bushwick. The removal process involves blasting away layers of paint more than 100 years old and recoating the steel structure. Work is being conducted inside airtight containment tents with monitoring at dozens of points around the site. Tests so far show no cause for concern and any odor is described as temporary and not harmful. The agency says it is following national guidelines and required enclosures. Some residents report visible dust, loud noise, disruption, and have distributed masks and posted video evidence online.
The MTA says residents in one Brooklyn neighborhood need not worry about donning masks while crews strip toxic lead paint from the elevated tracks at Myrtle Avenue in Bushwick. But some commuters through the century-old structure aren't convinced. The agency insists the work, which involves blasting away layers of paint more than 100 years old and recoating the steel structure, is being done inside airtight containment tents, with monitoring at dozens of different points around the site.
Like most paint formulas, there will be an odor that is temporary and not harmful, an agency spokesperson said. The MTA is following every national guideline that's recommended for safely carrying out this work, including required enclosures to contain debris. Locals aren't so sure. On TikTok, one community organizer has been urging residents to take precautions and handing out free masks through Concejo De Los Pueblos Originarios, a nonprofit located near the station. Other users have urged neighbors to mask up, posting videos of dust particles floating on the platform.
Another resident turned to Reddit two months ago for clarity on the works, which began in February, writing: There are signs on Broadway saying they are removing lead, and it is a danger. The sound is unbearable. Are we all breathing in lead as they sandblast it off the trestles? Replying commenters noted that residents have pushed for years to address the hazardous paint, and the sandblasting is a necessary evil, while others complained that the project has brought intense noise and disruption.
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