The EPA came out with an announcement within a couple of days that the air was safe. Schools within a few blocks of the WTC were re-opened, families returned to their apartments, kids from midwest church groups were sent into the area without respirators volunteering to clean apartments.
The government and business leaders were more concerned about economic collapse then they were about long-term effects on health. The only people who should have been in that area were those equipped with Scott AirPak type oxygen systems. The idea that innocent people were tricked into returning with "safe" reports of air quality is disgusting.
My first visit to the area wasn't until the third week of October 2001 and there was still a distinct metallic flavor to the air that settled in the back of ones' throat if you didn't continually wear a mask. It forced people to drink absurd amounts of water to wash it away. God only knows what that was. Glad I endured the laughs of coworkers and kept that mask/respirator firmly affixed to my face.
~ Blue Jays ~