EPA Scientist Warns of Dust Danger from 9/11
A scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claimed in a letter to members of the New York Congressional Delegation that test reports in 2002 and 2003 distorted the alkalinity, or pH level, of the dust released when the twin towers collapsed. The EPA scientist is challenging the test results which indicated that larger particles of dust were highly alkaline, but found smaller dust particles (those most likely to reach into the lower airways of the lungs) were not alkaline and caustic.
These smaller dust particles present a greater risk, and residents of Lower Manhattan have sued the EPA and New York University as the parties responsible for the tests, claiming they bungled the cleanup.
During the cleanup, all workers and residents should have been advised to take precautions, such as wearing HEPA masks, which are necessary in any environment with potentially toxic dust or chemicals. Now, as reported by CBS News, firefighters, policemen, construction and utility workers from the ground zero crew are experiencing complications due to the inhalation of dust created when the towers fell.
Approximately one million tons of pulverized concrete, glass, asbestos, and 400 other chemicals were released into the air, causing high levels of toxic dust to float through the air, being inhaled by the more than 40,000 workers at ground zero. "The air was so thick that everything was stuck in your mouth, in your nose. You were pulling large pieces out, coughing like crazy. You could not but inhale and swallow tons of material," recalls Dr. David Prezant, the Chief Medical Officer for New York City's Fire Department, who was caught in the dust cloud when the first tower fell.
Mary Mears, a spokeswoman for the EPA, says that they stand behind their work at ground zero and states, “This appears to be a disagreement about scientific methods and not the validity of the results.” Representative Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes Lower Manhattan, intends to look into the dispute, as concerns run high over the air pollution from the 9/11 attacks.
These smaller dust particles present a greater risk, and residents of Lower Manhattan have sued the EPA and New York University as the parties responsible for the tests, claiming they bungled the cleanup.
During the cleanup, all workers and residents should have been advised to take precautions, such as wearing HEPA masks, which are necessary in any environment with potentially toxic dust or chemicals. Now, as reported by CBS News, firefighters, policemen, construction and utility workers from the ground zero crew are experiencing complications due to the inhalation of dust created when the towers fell.
Approximately one million tons of pulverized concrete, glass, asbestos, and 400 other chemicals were released into the air, causing high levels of toxic dust to float through the air, being inhaled by the more than 40,000 workers at ground zero. "The air was so thick that everything was stuck in your mouth, in your nose. You were pulling large pieces out, coughing like crazy. You could not but inhale and swallow tons of material," recalls Dr. David Prezant, the Chief Medical Officer for New York City's Fire Department, who was caught in the dust cloud when the first tower fell.
Mary Mears, a spokeswoman for the EPA, says that they stand behind their work at ground zero and states, “This appears to be a disagreement about scientific methods and not the validity of the results.” Representative Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes Lower Manhattan, intends to look into the dispute, as concerns run high over the air pollution from the 9/11 attacks.
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