[Maria S]

"The fact is that virtually everyone who was situated below the impact points of the airliners got out. The overwhelming majority of the missing/fatalities were on the floors above the impact points, and those floors the planes hit directly."

I can't make much of a defense against what you say simply because I'm not an engineer nor was I involved in the WTC disaster. I DO have a friend with a master's in engineering, and he explained it basically like the article. The terrible heat/fire from a full load of jet-fuel basically melted the steel girders. I have always assumed those above the strikes died because of the elevator shafts failing, and I understood that some of the employees were told to remain in their offices rather than escape when they could have taken the stairs.

Thank you for your comments; I try to learn!

[Snidely Whiplash]

I can't make much of a defense against what you say simply because I'm not an engineer nor was I involved in the WTC disaster.

Well, me neither. I'm an historian, and I was nowhere near NYC on 9/11. That said, the documentaries and reports produced post-9/11 were quite clear on the fate of those in the high floors of the towers, and why they were doomed.

I DO have a friend with a master's in engineering, and he explained it basically like the article. The terrible heat/fire from a full load of jet-fuel basically melted the steel girders.

Yes and no. The jet fuel for the most part actually burned off fairly quickly. The problem is, all that burning jet fuel ignited all the office furniture, carpets, papers, etc on the floors. That fire is largely what weakened the girders, which had whatever fireproofing they did have blasted off by the impact itself (and subsequent flying debris).

Using asbestos wouldn't have made any significant difference in whether the buildings collapsed or not, since it would've been blasted off the important girders - the lateral ones that supported the floors - anyway.

It might be fun to argue over and grumble about some of the stupid things that the environmentalist movement has done over the years, but it's wrong to unjustly (or ignorantly) push tragedies off on them.

Snidely