Oh, what the hell. I won't wait. Worst lie: After the September 11 attacks, the EPA told New Yorkers it was safe to live and work near Ground Zero. It turns out that under White House pressure, the EPA lied about the data it had and omitted important information about the quality of the air and what New Yorkers needed to do to stay healthy.
Source PLEASE!!!!!
You have already proved you play fast and loose with the facts so there is no way we can take your word on this.
I have heard that said about WH pressure, but I have heard many things "said". Can you point to supported evidence that this happened?
Hey, NICE of you to come by, takes guts...
Now, please cite specific reports and data that clearly show there was a health hazard to the GENERAL PUBLIC in the area around Ground Zero.
Please be sure to indicate the levels and identification of toxins that were OMITTED from any reports. Also the LD50 levels of any toxins cited and any clinical reports that state the carcinogenic or mutagenic or other harmful physiological actions of those toxins.
Thanks. If you insist on citing "reports" and that the EPA was forced to do such and such...I expect that you have SEEN the actual data of particulate air monitoring in the area and have the statistical timeweighted 8h/day maxima for personal exposure with and without safety gear.
FReegards...
GRRRRRR
"Oh, what the hell. I won't wait. Worst lie: After the September 11 attacks, the EPA told New Yorkers it was safe to live and work near Ground Zero. It turns out that under White House pressure, the EPA lied about the data it had and omitted important information about the quality of the air and what New Yorkers needed to do to stay healthy."
That's the worst lie? Hmmm, not so bad. If you think back to 9/11 you will remember that heaven & earth could not have stopped the NYPD-NYFD-DSNY, or any of the thousands of volunteers that attempted to rescue and then recover in the aftermath. We sent all of them down to the site with food, supplies, whatever they needed. They worked till they were exhausted, caught a nap, and went back down. Nothing could have stopped them, certainly not "air quality".
As a hardware store owner here in NYC, I could not buy from my suppliers, a dust mask, respirator, bandana... for months. They were diverted to ground zero where they were freely distributed to anyone in the area.
For weeks after, when the wind was right, the stench of rotting bodies seeped it's 12 mile journey into our area of the Bronx. Anyone who ever smelled that smell would gladly have traded it off for a bit of "contaminated" air.
And now I question just how bad the air quality really was. Was it worse than what a coal miner is subjected to on a daily basis? Was it worse than standing behind a city bus as it's pulling out of a bus stop? Was it worse than the air quality one is exposed to while sitting on the FDR in rush hour? NO! Not according to Dr. Ed. He said that there was an issue with the air quality in the first two days, but that issue drastically discipated quickly.
Yet, you could have a valid point about the admistrations "worst lie". It certainly may have been beneficial for the EPA to tell NYC and the the world that the air quality at ground zero MIGHT have been un-acceptable, and that it MIGHT later cause disease, I'm sure that was their first priority, right up in front of further building collapses, the fire that took a month to extinguish, the possibility of live trapped victims, the threat of more attacks, and coping with the overwelming anguish that gripped this city, state, nation, and world.
To be fair, Dr. Ed did say that the final report is still a couple months off, and that it would take years for the final, final assesment. And he said there were issues with the proper cleanup of nearby residences. But my dear Liberal-Left friend Dr. Ed, who is an FDNY Doctor, and who is standing here beside me right now (grinning and shaking his head), also said that in the scheme of things concerning that tragic time, air quality was quickly assesed and deemed OK given the nature and scope of the calamity.
My guess is that Lawyers and Politicians squeeeeezed the EPA is a liar thing to pave way for lawsuits.
OK Mr. Perlstein, wanna try your second worst lie?