EPA Coverup Of Ground Zero WTC Toxics Alleged

Two key figures have resigned from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the last month. Both officials, the chief investigator for the EPA's Ombudsman Office and the Ombudsman himself, stated in their resignation letters that the EPA has covered up the existence of deadly pollution in the area of the destroyed World Trade Center towers in New York.

While this issue is debated, emergency workers who were sent to the scene and residents of Lower Manhattan are developing serious, and in some cases, life threatening health problems.

We don't even hear much about the area around the World Trade Center towers - or Ground Zero as it was dubbed by the news media - on the TV news or in the newspapers any longer. From the point of view of the corporate controlled mainstream media, the story is old. But for some firefighters and other personnel who worked or are still working at the scene, the trauma of the terrorist attacks has now become very personal as their own health is threatened.

At a New York public hearing in February, Hugh Kaufman, then chief investigator for the EPA's Ombudsman Office, told a group of scientists, residents, and small business owners that he believed the EPA was deliberately not testing the air quality in the World Trade Center area properly and covering up the reasons why.

"I believe EPA did not do that because they knew it would come up not safe and so they are involved in providing knowingly false information to the public about safety," Kaufman said at the hearing.

While the EPA continues to claim that the air around the site is safe, scores of rescue workers, cleanup crews, and residents are reporting respiratory problems. Many believe something in the air from the collapse of the towers is making them sick.

U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes the site, said at a public meeting he called at the Federal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, "It's remarkable. Either they have something to hide or they don't give a damn."

In November, 2001, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman issued an order to dissolve the ombudsman's position, an office created to give the public a forum for complaints about the agency 's actions. The Congressional order that established the office expired last fall, and she decided not to ask for renewal. In light of what we are now learning of the effects of the Bush administration on the EPA, it is no surprise that the public oversight function would be eliminated.

Many workers from FEMA, New York Fire Fighters and Urban Search and Rescue teams wore no protective masks.

The risks have been greatly magnified for many residents, rescue workers, and cleanup crews, because many did not wear any breathing protection sufficient to protect their lungs at ground zero and in the surrounding community. In fact, many day laborers, including large numbers of immigrants who spoke little or no English, were hired to clean up buildings covered with toxic dust.

Not widely reported in the news media is the fact that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) gathered data early on about the pollution levels at the site. The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), a scientific instrument designed to view the site in many different wavelengths, was flown on an aircraft by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA over the World Trade Center area on September 16, 18, 22, and 23, 2001.

A two person crew from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected samples of dusts and debris from more than 35 localities within a distance of one kilometer from the World Trade Center site on the evenings of September 17 and 18, 2001. While not by any means a complete study, the data showed elevated levels of asbestos and many other pollutants, including the heavy metals, aluminum, chromium, antimony, molybdenum, and barium.

Government officials have tried to downplay the asbestos threat by claiming that mostly chrysotile asbestos, a form of the mineral considered to be less carcinogenic than other forms, was found. The USGS document describing the results of their tests points out that such a claim, "has not been universally accepted by the scientific community." But it is convenient politically.

What studies done to date will not show are the localized toxic clouds of multiple substances that have been formed as millions of pounds of chemical compounds from the debris combine in unexpected ways. Many rescue and cleanup workers feel they have become ill from these invisible toxic clouds. A reader of my weekly commentaries contacted me about her friend and colleague, a rescue worker from a fire department in another state who was ordered to the World Trade Center right after the disaster. She became progressively sicker soon after this work and has been shuttled from doctor to doctor.

A bone marrow aspiration revealed a huge level of toxic mercury in her system that could only have gotten there from an intense outside exposure. The only place she could have gotten such an exposure was at the World Trade Center.

Increased pressure inside her skull has developed, and she is having severe headaches, nausea, and nosebleeds. Her friend reported to me that, "She has a horrible rash all over her body. She has horrible cramps in her legs and back. Her lung capacity is greatly diminished and she has had major changes in her vision, and was told she is going blind. The government doctor who was sent to treat her told her to take a six month leave of absence and get her life in order because in six months she would no longer be able to perform her duties as a firefighter."

The supervisor of this 12 year veteran rescue worker told her "all of this medical testing is fine, as long as it does not get in the way of you doing your job." With the EPA downplaying any toxic effects, she is getting little sympathy from agencies and insurance companies.

In EPA Ombudsman Robert Martin's Earth Day resignation letter, he accused EPA Administrator Whitman of withholding data about the toxic air at the World Trade Center for personal gain. He discovered that Whitman is married to a man who served for years as an officer of Citigroup and who now manages about $800 million of the firm's investments.

Martin said he later discovered that Citigroup owns Traveler's Insurance, the insurance company of many buildings in World Trade Center area. He feels that because Whitman issued a statement assuring people that everything was fine, Traveler's saved a lot of money by not having to pay claims.

While studies and investigations continue, people suffer from an environmental catastrophe. I challenge a group of attorneys to come forward, find the rescue and cleanup workers who have been poisoned by working at the World Trade Center site, and force the government to accept responsibility for their health care.

We will never end terrorism in the world if we can't eradicate injustice and greed from our own government agencies, political leaders, and industries.

1. See the complete USGS report on NASA's flight over the World Trade Center at: http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/open-file-reports /ofr-01-0429/

2. See a collection of links related to health effects from the World Trade Center cleanup by the New York Committee on Occupational Health & Safety at: http://www.qc.edu/CBNS/WTChealthinfo.html

3. Read the full story about the EPA ombudsman's resignation at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/67576_ombud sman24.shtml

4. Find out who your Congressional representatives are and e-mail them. Demand that they reveal the true nature of the danger at the World Trade Center site and compensate all injured workers, emergency personnel, and residents." If you know your Zip code, you can find them at: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ziptoit.html

5. See a fact sheet on pollutants at the World Trade Center site from the NY Committee on Occupational Health & Safety at: http://www.nycosh.org/wtc-catastrophe-factsheet.pd f

6. Visit the website of the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project. They want the area to be declared a Superfund site. See their activities at: http://www.nyenvirolaw.org/WTC/WTC-index.htm

7. See a "USA Today" story about the anxiety over toxic substances at the WTC site at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/02/07/usa t-wtc-acov.htm

8. Visit a collection of news reports on this issue on Immune Web, a website for people who suffer from environmental diseases, at: http://www.immuneweb.org/911/news/

9. Read a critique of the EPA studies by "Worker's World" at: http://www.workers.org/ww/2002/pollute0307.php

{Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer and teacher in Seattle and the author of "Healing Our World, A Journey from the Darkness Into the Light," available at: http://www.xlibris.com/HealingOurWorld.html. Please send your thoughts, comments, and visions to him at: jackie@healingourworld.com and visit his website at: http://www.healingourworld.com}

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Centralizing power in order to right wrongs, or in this case "save the environment" is a two edged sword. It creates a honey pot of power that attracts the big players. Eventually, when enough money is on the table, the chances that the burearacrats will act in the public interest, as opposed to the interests of the powerful, approach zero.

We are now exploring the tail of that curve.

When Clintoon was president, I used to blame such sh*t on him. That was a mistake. Though I am sure he and Hillary did more than their share, our federal bureacracy has grown larger by far than any one person. The destruction of our republic, just in my lifetime, is disgusting.

This is ridiculous. If we had gotten some drenching rains for a few days a lot of the particles in the air would have been washed down to the ground. Other than bringing in a big fan and blowing the air out to sea,(utterly ludicrous) just what did people think would happen to the air.

Did they want to evacuate many many city blocks........then what? Did they want to seal up the entire area and make it no man's land. Just leave the bodies where they fell?

So easy to blame the government......oh, they should have taken away the bad air and brought in new clean air!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If people want to get mad, let them get mad at the animals who perpetrated this crime and stop whining about how they are treated on Gitmo, how wrong we are to retaliate, etc. etc.

BLAME THE GUILTY, NOT THE VICTIMS.

At first blush, I didn't make sense of your post ... I didn't see where anyone was blaming the EPA for the pollution, nor advocating that we abandon lower Manhattan to the dark side of the moon.

But on second thought, since when does the EPA get a monopoly on measuring air quality. If I have a toxic spill in my house, I don't wait for the EPA to tell me to keep my kids from playing in it. I take measures myself to deal with it.

It's the Pygmalion affect. Start doing stuff for people they should be doing themselves, and eventually they end up angry as hell at you for not doing something.

I don't think there is any suprise that there was some seriously nasty stuff burning at the WTC site, or that rescue workers breathed it in. IT'c common knowledge in NYC in the construction trade that the cleanup workers will have shortened lifespans.

But why on earth would the EPA purposely hide dangerous findings. What a load of crap.

What could have been done? The buildings were pulverized.....among the dust was airplanes, buildings, PEOPLE........

The blame belongs to the animals who flew those planes.

What could have been done?

First, measure what dangers are there. Then publicize what's measured. Then people can take precautions, such as limiting exposure, using breathing masks, being on the alert for certain symptoms and beginning necessary treatment sooner, keeping those with weaker respiratory systems away, ... whatever fits the problem.

The pigs who flew the planes into the towers are to blame for the tragedy. We are responsible for our response.

Just another way for liberal lawyers to blame government for everything, then sue NYC, the state, the USA, and anyone else in site (except of course, those who caused the problem). After all, these do have bill to pay and must keep their income up.

Let's have some compassion for the poor lawyers.

But on second thought, since when does the EPA get a monopoly on measuring air quality.

You are correct - they don't. The may have done some additional maesurements due to 9/11, but the base air quality monitoring netwrok is likely run by the state.

This is from 1998, most recent I could find. While this doesn't show that there are monitors at ground zero, it does show that the state has the capabilities and resources to measure for several contaminants including toxics.

New York State Air Quality Monitoring (1998)

The crews were given masks, not immediately, but as soon as humanly possible.

There are endless pictures of the guys working at ground zero with the masks hanging around their necks. When asked why they weren't wearing them they complained they weren't comfortable.

Exactly, dangerous or not, people want to work there to find their foallen comrades and possibly rescue survivors. I mean don't you think there is an elevated risk for working in a huge wreckage field with sharp objects, burning fires, and 100 foot deep pits?

"So easy to blame the government."

My dear OldFriend, I believe the issue at hand is the COVERUP by Whitman and how she & her hubby's cronies will benefit by this COVERUP.

"The blame belongs to the animals who flew those planes."

Noone disputes this but the poster's emphasis was on the COVERUP - not those who are responsible for the heinous act. Jeezes, first we have fanatics plunging into the WTC and wrecking havoc & chaos for the US for months and I think the point being made is it's an insult to the injury to have 'one of our own' scramble to COVERUP the facts. When is it enough with the LIES?

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