Second Avenue Subway Cough (Second Avenue Subway Syndrome)
The “Second Avenue Subway cough” (also called “Second Avenue Subway Syndrome”) is a health problem associated with the construction of Manhattan’s Second Avenue Subway. The term appeared in print in January 2012, but an air quality report released at this time by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority denied any air quality problems associated with the subway’s construction.
Other New York City-named health problems include “World Trade Center cough”, “Zuccotti (Park) lung” and “Far Rockaway cough.”
Wikipedia: Second Avenue Subway
The Second Avenue Subway (SAS) is a planned rapid transit subway line, part of the New York City Subway system. Phase I, consisting of two miles (3 km) of tunnel and three stations, is currently under construction underneath Second Avenue in the borough of Manhattan.
A plan for more than 75 years, the Second Avenue Subway tunnelling contract was awarded to the consortium of Schiavone/Shea/Skanska by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on March 20, 2007. This followed preliminary engineering and a final tunnel design completed by a joint venture between DMJM Harris and Arup. This contract, and the full funding grant agreement with the Federal Transit Administration which was received in November 2007, is for Phase I of the project, a newly built line between the existing BMT 63rd Street Line and 96th Street and 2nd Avenue. The total cost of the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) line is expected to be over $17 billion.
A ceremonial ground-breaking for the Second Avenue Subway was held on April 12, 2007 and the contractor prepared the initial construction site at 96th Street on April 23, 2007. A tunnel boring machine (TBM) was originally expected to arrive six to eight months after construction began, but the utility relocation and excavation required to create its “launch box” delayed its deployment until May 2010. By May 2010 the TBM launch box was complete, and on May 14, 2010, MTA’s contractors completed the TBM installation and turned it on. On March 28, 2011, S3, having completed the west tunnel to 65th Street, drilling began for the east tunnel. The TBM completed its run to the 63rd Street Station bellmouth on September 22, 2011.
The reasons for the line’s many “false starts” and delays are numerous and complex. The line is sometimes referred to as “The Line That Time Forgot”.
DNAinfo.com
MTA Tunnel Project Blamed for ‘Second Avenue Subway Cough’
January 26, 2012 6:43am | By Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo News Editor
UPPER EAST SIDE — Chris Ebe has had a nagging cough for months.
Initially, he blamed allergies. But then the 34-year-old wondered if it was connected to the dust from the subway construction work going on outside his window at Second Avenue and East 69 Street.
Many Upper East Siders with similar symptoms are dubbing it “the Second Avenue subway cough” or the “Second Avenue subway syndrome.”
It’s not a scientific term, but it has gained currency among those who have developed chronic coughs, asthma and other problems they believe are associated with the blasting for the massive project.
Because of these ailments, many are questioning the validity of the MTA’s recently-released air quality report, which claims there are no concerns over the safety of the project.
WPIX
Upper East Siders Developing ‘Second Avenue Subway Cough’
By ELLYN MARKS
8:30 p.m. EST, January 26, 2012
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY (PIX11)— Robin Plevener’s asthma had been under control for years, until about four months ago, when the pulmonary disease returned with a vengeance.
(...)
Plevener is not surprised fellow sufferers in the neighborhood are calling their ailment the ‘Second Avenue subway cough.’
(...)
The MTA recently released the findings of a study it did on the impact of the blasting on air quality.
“Based on the results of the study, there are no concerns that Second Avenue construction is causing any danger to the public’s health,” MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu said. “We will continue to do everything we can to be a good neighbor as we complete this critically important project as quickly as possible.”
Business Insider
January 27, 2012
The Second Avenue Subway Project Might Be To Blame For An Obnoxious Cough
Luke McKenna
Dust from the construction of New York’s Second Avenue subway is being blamed for a growing number of repertory problems among Upper East Siders, casting doubt over a rosy air quality report from the Metro Transit Authority.
At a Second Avenue Task Force hearing last night, locals living near blast sites around East 70th and 72nd streets complained about what is being called “Second Avenue subway syndrome,” said to involve chronic coughs, asthma and other problems, according to Andrew Siff at NBC.
DNA Info also reports that local doctors have noticed changes in air quality, and say that they are seeing an increase in patients with dust-related chronic sinusitis and post-nasal drips.