September 11: Overview of Federal Disaster Assistance to the New York City Area (U.S. General Accounting Office, Report to Congressional Requesters, October 2003)
Data Sanpshot: Understanding the Health Impact of 9/11:  World Trade Center Registry (NYCDOHMN, October 2003, Volume 1, No. 1)
Effects of Wildfire Smoke Vary, Experts Say ... The inhalation of tiny smoke particles from wildfires, while unpleasant, is unlikely to cause long-term damage to healthy people unless it occurs over a prolonged period, doctors and environmental health specialists said. But the experts also warned that young children, the elderly and anyone with chronic pulmonary or cardiovascular conditions could be at risk for complications, and those people were particularly advised to stay indoors and run their air-conditioners while the fires in Southern California continued to rage... In forest fires, smoke particles are mainly made up of organic material from burning vegetation. That distinguishes them from the kinds of particles found in urban fires, like those associated with the attack on the World Trade Center two years ago. "When buildings burn down, you can get some nasty things," Dr. Hughson said. "An awful lot of the dust that came down with the towers was construction materials, a lot of concrete dust. That's very, very irritating, more toxic than this stuff from a forest fire." (NYTimes, by David Tuller, October 30, 2003)

Breathtaking Cynicism ... Members of Congress have just heard testimony that most of those who came in the aftermath of 9/11 to look for survivors at the World Trade Center site, or to help with the cleanup, are suffering all sorts of health problems. (The Nation, 10/30/2003)
Senate Approves Plan Requiring EPA To Monitor Air Quality During Disasters ... The Senate has approved legislation that would require EPA to provide each of its regional offices a mobile air pollution monitor network to track potential public health risks in the event of a disaster, such as the current California wildfires and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. ... Boxer in offering the plan appeared to be making a similar argument as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) in her bid to have EPA perform environmental monitoring and testing of the World Trade Center site. Clinton was the sole co-sponsor of the Boxer amendment. Calls to Boxer and Clinton's offices were not returned. "We learned so much from September 11th and the problems we have with air quality in disaster areas," Boxer said in a written statement. Boxer prior to the vote said on the Senate floor that there are several pollutants -- including benzene, toluene and asbestos -- which are emitted by these wildfires and are not tested on a daily basis. "Today in San Diego, schools are closed because the air quality is too poor for children to breathe as a result of the wildfires," Boxer said in her Oct. 29 release. Clinton's push for air monitoring at the World Trade Center site was part of a Democratic standoff with the White House over the president's nomination of Michael Leavitt to be EPA administrator. Clinton lifted a hold on the Leavitt nomination after the administration agreed to conduct additional testing in buildings adjacent to Ground Zero to make sure they are no longer contaminated, and to create a task force -- to be led by EPA -- to investigate existing indoor air data and minimize health risks associated with the 9/11 attacks. Congress has restricted EPA's regulatory authority on indoor air pollutants to research, with critics of the agency cautioning that an aggressive push by EPA to address indoor pollutants may open up a major new area of environmental controls. (Inside Washington Publishers, October 30, 2003)

Mayor fears costs of WTC pension bill ... Mayor Bloomberg is urging Gov. Pataki to reject legislation that could boost retirement payouts for thousands of emergency workers who responded to the World Trade Center attacks, the Daily News has learned. In an unusually forceful letter, obtained by The News, Bloomberg suggested the measure could cost the city and state up to $260 million a year. The legislation would create a presumption that myriad injuries and illnesses suffered by firefighters, police officers and other workers who helped in the Sept. 11, 2001, response and recovery are job-related. That would entitle the workers to disability pensions, which are higher than regular pensions. (NYDaily News, October 30, 2003)
Doctors: Most 9 - 11 Workers Still Ailing ... NEW YORK (AP) -- Most ground zero workers still suffer from health problems two years after Sept. 11 and many do not have health insurance or job security, doctors told a congressional panel Tuesday. Several of the workers testified at a Manhattan hospital before the committee, saying they had trouble breathing, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and no longer had the strength to do their old jobs.``I can't tell you how hard it is living like this,'' said David Rapp, a construction worker who spent five months at the World Trade Center site and now always carries an oxygen tank and uses three inhalers. ``The fear of not being able to take my next breath is unbearable.'' ... Robin Herbert and Stephen Levin, the co-directors of a federal screening program at Mount Sinai Medical Center for ground zero workers, said they had examined 8,000 workers, 75 percent of whom had persistent respiratory problems. Forty percent of the workers suffer from mental health problems after the 2001 terror attack, the doctors said, but 40 percent also do not have health insurance and one-third are unemployed.... Herbert and Levin, who said the workers are at risk for developing cancer in the next decade, sought funding to screen more than 10,000 workers a year for the next 20 years. (NYTimes, October 29, 2003)

Ground zero workers in poor health: Many suffer breathing problems, stress disorder, doctors say ... One of the America's top air-quality scientists test the air around Ground Zero and tells NBC's Lisa Myers and the NBC Investigative Team he was shocked to find alarming levels of sulfuric acid and fine particles more than three weeks after the attack. (MSNBC, October 29, 2003)
Ground Zero Illnesses Linger: Rescuers suffering from fumes, debris ... Up to half of the workers who toiled at Ground Zero are suffering long-term health problems caused by inhaling fumes and dust from debris, according to testimony delivered at a congressional hearing in Manhattan yesterday. Firefighters' representatives reported their ranks of disabled from the Sept. 11, 2001, disaster have reached 2,400, and other workers said they never received respirators or other protective gear at Ground Zero during the first two weeks. The panel also heard that many who worked at the site have been unable to collect workers' compensation claims. The hearing was convened at the request of Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), who opened the session by saying that "40 percent of the Ground Zero workers lack health insurance. How in the world are other first responders going to respond to other disasters if they see that Sept. 11 responders are not given health care?"... Maloney expressed surprise: "The State of New York got $175 million from Congress to pay out workers' compensation ... but you can't get it?" Mount Sinai's Dr. Stephen Levin said most of his Ground Zero patients have been denied workers' compensation coverage. He called the system "dysfunctional.." (NY Newsday, October 29, 2003)
Ground Zero workers still suffering ... One-third of Ground Zero workers are suffering serious health problems, and many face life-long illnesses, doctors told a congressional panel yesterday. But much of the money earmarked to help the firefighters, cops, construction workers and others sickened by the toxic plume at the World Trade Center site is stuck in limbo. The funds have been authorized by the federal government but not disbursed. "Surely those who responded so selflessly to the disaster deserve better," said Dr. Robin Herbert, co-director of a health screening program at Mount Sinai Medical Center for 7,000 Ground Zero workers. Testifying before the House Committee on Government Reform at the upper East Side hospital, Herbert said 40% of those enrolled in Mount Sinai's program have no health insurance, and a third are unemployed. (NYDaily News, by Paul H.B. Shin, October 29, 2003)
After Long Delay, Senate Confirms Utah Governor as Head of E.P.A.... The confirmation of Mr. Leavitt, a three-term governor with strong ties to many senators, headed for a quick ending this week after it became clear that the Republicans had enough votes to override the six Senate Democrats who had placed holds on his confirmation. Minutes before a critical vote on Monday night, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York said she had reached an accord with the White House to re-examine the air quality of Lower Manhattan and would drop her opposition. (NYTimes, by Jennifer 8 Lee, October 29, 2003)
The Lay of the Landslide: A look behind the Senate's thumbs-up on Leavitt ... Though Connaughton didn't admit to a cover-up of evidence about poor air quality at Ground Zero after Sept. 11, 2001, as the senators had pushed for, he did vow to beef up both the investigation into the exposures and risks at the site and the health-care options for those potentially affected.... Lieberman and Clinton deserve congratulations for extracting a commitment from Connaughton, but they seem to have glossed over the broader reason that many Democrats had for blocking the Leavitt nomination: drawing attention to the Bush administration's environmental record at large, which has consequences that reach well beyond the boundaries of Ground Zero.(Grist Magazine, by Amanda Griscom, 29 Oct 2003)

Nadler Statement on EPA's Failed Response to 9/11 ... Seeks Answers from Agency at House Committee Hearing in New York City (News Release, October 28, 2003)

Congress Opens Hearings On Health Effects Of WTC Attack ... A Congressional hearing on the long-term health effects of the World Trade Center attack got underway Tuesday in Manhattan. ... The bottom line, according to panelists, is the federal government needs to provide more money for long-term health care and monitoring. ... The city's World Trade Center health registry is trying to track attack-related illnesses, but it was never meant to provide any treatment. "It's not in any way integrated with our program, so people identified by the registry as having symptoms are being referred for further evaluation and care," Levin said. Lawmakers at the hearing said they will introduce legislation to try and ensure all workers are screened and treated. (NY1, by Marjie Mohtashemi , October 28, 2003)

Doc's WTC note: Don't hurry back ... The day after the World Trade Center collapse, a top federal scientist warned in a strongly worded memo against the quick reoccupation of buildings in lower Manhattan because of possible dangers from asbestos and other toxic materials. "We feel that the issues surrounding a decision to enter orreenter previously occupied premises is enormously complex," wrote Dr. Ed Kilbourne, an associate administrator at thefederal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), in response to aWhite House request for a health advisory. "A number of environmental hazards, especially asbestos- contaminated dust, may be present in the area," Kilbourne said in his two-page report to Dr. Kevin Yeskey, then the director of bioterrorism preparedness and response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. (NY Daily News, by Juan Gonzalez, October 28, 2003)
Ground Zero Workers Testify About Poor Health (Fox News/AP, October 28, 2003)
Doctors: Most ground zero workers still in poor health (The Stamford Advacate/AP, October 28, 2003)
Sociologists study disasters ... At a congressional hearing Monday, leading sociologists offered policymakers clear direction: Before a disaster, give credible, equitable warnings. After a disaster, encourage response that's woven into each community's social fabric.... The government sometimes "tells us things they're not sure are true," said Clarke, and the results can be significantly damaging for people already hurting. The EPA's inaccuracies worsened the World Trade Center disaster in two ways. First, health problems were worse for people who believed it was safe to return to contaminated homes, schools and workplaces. Second, public trust in the EPA was shattered; the agency increasingly appeared both unable and unwilling to test for toxins. (Reporting Distaster Response, by Susan Kim, October 28, 2003)
W.T.C. health survey is poorly run, some say ... The city's World Trade Center Health Registry has not asked enough questions of enough people, Downtowners criticized at an environmental forum last week. At the event, sponsored by New York University School of Medicine and held in the landmark Woolworth Building, scientists presented 9/11-related research to an overflow crowd of more than 120 people. Some said that the forum failed to provide the practical health information they were seeking. The project director for the health registry spoke last and received the brunt of participants" frustration during the question-and-answer session that followed. "The registry fails, and it fails miserably," said Scott Shields, who was among the first rescue workers to respond to the disaster. (DownTown Express, By Elizabeth O'Brien, Oct 28 - Nov 03, 2003)

Nadler Statement on EPA's Failed Response to 9/11 (October 28, 2003)
Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Governor Leavitt Nomination ... "Over the last several weeks my office and I have been in negotiations with the White house over the serious matters concerning the clean up around Ground Zero and the continuing threat of contamination in residences and workplaces in Lower Manhattan. Today we have reached an agreement and I have received a commitment to action from the White House to address these indoor air quality concerns. This is not everything that I would have wished for and it is not exactly what the Inspector General has recommended, but I will continue to work with the White House and the EPA to make sure that we go wherever the evidence leads us and that we have independent outside validation of whatever it is the EPA does from now on. But we have reached agreement with the White House for additional testing to verify that residences that have been cleaned have not been recontaminated. And in addition, the White House has committed to forming an expert panel consisting of both government experts and outside experts to reevaluate a range of issues raised by the Inspector General's Report. (October 27, 2003)

Democrats End Effort to Block Bush's Choice to Lead E.P.A. ... Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and other Democratic senators on Monday withdrew their holds on President Bush's choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, clearing the way for Mr. Leavitt's confirmation in a vote by the full Senate on Tuesday. Mrs. Clinton yielded after the White House agreed to re-examine the environmental effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. The agreement ended a standoff over Mr. Leavitt's nomination that had lasted more than 50 days. (NYTimes, by Jeffer Lee, October 27, 2003)
Democrats Abandon Filibuster of Leavitt ... WASHINGTON, Satisfied that the Bush administration will address concerns over air quality in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Sen. Hillary Clinton has removed her objections to the nomination of Mike Leavitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. The withdrawal has ended the threat of a filibuster of the Utah governor's confirmation. Senators are now expected to approve his move to the EPA in a Tuesday morning vote. (Fox News, October 27, 2003)
Unions rip WTC health registry ... Leaders of several major city unions are blasting the Bloomberg administration's World Trade Center health registry as a waste of money that won't help their sick members. "I'm requesting that the information on the registry be taken off our [union] Web site," said Lee Clarke, health and safety officer for District Council 37, thecity's largest municipal union,which has offices a block from Ground Zero. (NY Daily News, by Maggie Haberman, October 27, 2003)

Whitman's Toxic Power Play: Did Christie Whitman's feud with an EPA investigator leave New Yorkers breathing polluted air? (Mother Jones, By Justin Scheck, October 27, 2003 )

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Governor Leavitt Nomination (News Release, October 27, 2003)

The City Politic: Zero for Heroes ... Many of the people who spent months in the pit at ground zero have respiratory ailments. And no health insurance. And no aid from the government. Why? Rapp's illness began with a faint dizziness and shortness of breath, but it steadily got worse. Before long, he was useless to his former employers. They laid him off. Now Rapp is very, very sick. He's suffering from severe pulmonary disease—meaning he never gets enough air. He has frequent respiratory infections. He's on twelve medicines. He carries an oxygen tank wherever he goes. "I just went straight down," Rapp says, his voice somewhere between a whisper and a rasp. "It's real depressing." He's learning to accept the fact that he may never work again. But with that comes a question: How is Rapp, whose medical costs are now covered by temporary state workers' comp, going to pay for his treatment in the future? (New York Magazine, By Greg Sargent, October 27, 2003)
Frist may seek to force vote on Leavitt nomination ... Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has said she will block Leavitt's confirmation until the White House answers questions about who told the EPA to assure New Yorkers that air near the World Trade Center rubble was safe after the Sept. 11 attacks.(AP/ Daily Herald, October 24, 2003)

Congress To Hold Hearing Next Week On Health Problems Of WTC Workers ... A congressional hearing next week will examine the long-term health effects on workers at the World Trade Center site. Investigators have invited health and recovery workers to testify at the hearing, which will be held at Mount Sinai Hospital. Since the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, many recovery workers and Lower Manhattan residents have complained of respiratory problems. In August, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general released a report which found the agency misled the public about air quality downtown. On Monday, an alliance of environmental advocates urged the government to perform further testing and clean up dust from the collapse. (NY1, October 22, 2003)

Post-9/11 air reports criticized (nyunews.com and washingtonsquarenews.com, by Andres Martinez (10/22/03)

Sierra Club Ad Asks White House to be Honest About 9/11 Information, Conduct Proper Cleanup of Remaining World Trade Center Dust ... The Sierra Club today launched efforts to hold the Bush Administration accountable for misleading the public about the safety of lower Manhattan following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Through a new television ad, the Sierra Club calls attention to White House efforts to downplay health concerns for residents and workers as they returned to their homes and workplaces in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy. The ad also urges the White House to follow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General's recommendation to clean up any remaining World Trade Center dust in residences and workplaces. (Sierra Club News Release, October 22 , 2003)

Hil holding EPA's feet to the fire ... Hillary Clinton has led the charge in the Senate for several weeks to block the confirmation of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt as President Bush's new Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Clinton wants more answers - and more action - from the White House on cleaning up any hazardous chemicals that remain inside buildings in lower Manhattan in the wake of the World Trade Center collapse. So she's putting a hold on Leavitt's confirmation until she gets what she wants. Judging by a new ream of EPA documents on the post-9/11 cleanup that surfaced two weeks ago, Clinton is right to keep demanding answers. Those documents indicate just how deeply involved White House officials were in directing the EPA to publicly minimize health risks in the weeks after 9/11... We know that "no one died from inhalation of the dust," said Paul J. Lioy, deputy director of government relations for the Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Piscataway, N.J. "But we don't know what all the health effects are." (NYDailyNews, October 21, 2003)

CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ISSUES ENROLLMENT INFORMATION FROM WORLD TRADE CENTER HEALTH REGISTRY: Report Provides Demographic Information on 6,313 People Who Enrolled During First Three-and-a-Half Weeks of Data Collection (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, October 21, 2003)

Field Hearing Advisory: October 28, 2003 - Assessing September 11th Health Effects: What Should Be Done? US Rep. Christopher Shays (CT-4), Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, today announced the panel will convene an oversight hearing in New York City to examine the short and long term health effects of the September 11th attack on Ground Zero workers, and steps taken by the federal and local government to diagnose and provide treatment to those affected. (Committee on Government Reform, October 21, 2003)

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF A DISASTER: Cover Story ... Scientists struggle to understand the complex mixture of aerosols released during and after the destruction of the World Trade Center. With the collapse of New York City's two World Trade Center (WTC) towers on Sept. 11, 2001, more than 1 million tons of dust enveloped lower Manhattan. And fires that lingered at ground zero until December created a plume of smoke initially detectable from space. .. In a broad sense, the WTC attack generated two different kinds of aerosols: pulverized dust from the collapse of the towers and smoke from the fires in the debris pile. Other pollution sources were affected by WTC activity, notably demolition at the site, which started in mid-October; diesel generator emissions; and traffic pollution. The dust "was unlike any dust and smoke mixture I had ever seen before," Lioy said. The fluffy, pink and gray powder "was basically a complex mixture of everything that makes up our workplaces and lives." Six million sq ft of masonry, 5 million sq ft of painted surfaces, 7 million sq ft of flooring, 600,000 sq ft of window glass, 200 elevators, and everything inside came down as dust, said Greg Meeker of USGS. The only thing that didn't get pulverized was the WTC towers' 200,000 tons of structural steel. That was just bent, Meeker said. (Chemical & Engineering News, Volume 81, Number 42, CENEAR 81 42 pp. 26-30, ISSN 0009-2347, October 20, 2003)

Nadler FOIA Request to EPA Demands Answers: Calls for an End to Agency's Silence on 9/11 Response (News Release, October 16, 2003)

The North Tower's Dust Cloud Analysis of Energy Requirements for the Expansion of the Dust Cloud following the Collapse of 1 World Trade Center (by Jim Hoffman, October 16th, 2003)

Infertility linked to 9/11 stress ... Doctors believe that stress caused by the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 may have left some women infertile. Out of nearly 400 fertility patients treated at a Manhattan clinic, women who found out they were pregnant after 11 September were 25% more likely to miscarry than those who knew before the attacks that they were expecting a baby. Dust and smoke may have affected the health of the women... It's likely the impact of the psychological stress was prbably compounded by physical factors... (BBC, By Ania Lichtarowicz, 15 October, 2003)

NIEHS Issues Additional Awards to Continue 9/11 Response for Workers and Residents Following WTC Disaster (Press Release, October 15, 2003)

Leavitt finally voted out of Senate committee Wednesday ... Clinton praised Leavitt personally, but said she is still upset the White House had not better explained why it said dust after the 9/11 attacks in New York was safe when EPA data did not back that. (By Lee Davidson, Deseret Morning News, October 15, 2003)

E.P.A. delays release of lead tests ... The Environmental Protection Agency says it is not ready to release its findings on the post-9/11 toxin tests the agency conducted in 250 Lower Manhattan apartments, although community members are concerned after obtaining what appears to be raw data from the tests. (Downtown Express, By Elizabeth O'Brien, October 14 - 20, 2003)

EDITORIAL: Inexcusable delays and indifference at the E.P.A. ... Jo Polett has no science degree, does not work for the government and has no more obligation to try and protect the public than other citizens living near her in Tribeca or anywhere else in America. If Environmental Protection Agency officials had just a fraction of her conscience, Lower Manhattan residents would likely be able to feel better about their long-term health prospects. Polett told us this week that the E.P.A. found five times what is believed to be a safe level of lead in her apartment as a result of the collapse of the World Trade Center. (Downtown Express, October 14 - 20, 2003)
Cloud hangs over ground zero: As many link health woes to air, EPA papers add to concern. ... An atmosphere of distrust pervades Lower Manhattan on these issues. The EPA never did widespread testing of indoor dust and air, a step some scientists said was necessary. Testing and cleanup of offices were voluntary, so many people who work in Lower Manhattan do not know whether they were exposed or continue to be exposed to dangerous chemicals. The safety and health issues have been simmering for two years but exploded into national controversy in late August when the EPA inspector general, an internal agency watchdog, concluded that EPA Administrator Christine Whitman lacked adequate scientific evidence when she told the public on Sept. 18, 2001, that the air downtown was "safe to breathe."... (The Philadelphia Inquirer, By Miriam Hill, Oct. 14, 2003)

Leavitt is a useful pawn for the minority party in a political year ... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., also has pledged to block Leavitt's nomination from a floor vote. She wants the White House to answer the findings of an EPA inspector general's probe that found high-level censorship of public health hazard warnings in New York City after the collapse of the asbestos-laden World Trade Center towers. "Hillary's hold is a different case than the other three," says Mackenzie. "The White House has to decide how damaging it would be to release the information she wants and whether that damage is minimal enough to justify getting her to lift her hold." (The Salt Lake Tribune, By Christopher Smith, October 13, 2003)

I.B.M. Toxic-Chemical Suit Heads to Court ... Mr. Smith of the Toxic Coalition says that what makes electronics manufacturing unusual is that employees can be steadily exposed to low levels of several chemicals, rather than a single dangerous material, like benzene, shown to cause brain cancer, or asbestos, which has been linked to lung disease. In electronics manufacturing, it is the combination of chemicals, even in small doses over time, that can be lethal, Mr. Smith said. (The New York Times, By Laurie J. Flynn, October 13, 2003)

Details Emerge on Post-9/11 Clash Between White House and E.P.A. ... Tensions between the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality over informing the public about air safety after the collapse of the World Trade Center may well have been greater than revealed in a report issued by the E.P.A.'s inspector general in August, according to newly released documents. (NY Times, By Jennifer Lee, October 10, 2003)

Sen. Clinton still intends to place hold on EPA nominee ... WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she still intends to block Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt's nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency, after her office received new details of how the White House and EPA fought over air quality concerns after Sept. 11. (Casper Star Tribune, 10-10-03)

Air Pollution May Increase Stroke Risk ... High pollution levels may make people more susceptible to stroke, according to a report in today's rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association... "Particulate matter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) seem to be the most important pollutants and the effects appear to be stronger on warm days," Yang said. For each interquartile change – 66.33 microgram per cubic meter change for PM10 and 7.08 parts per billion change for NO2– the risk of hospital admission for primary intracerebral hemorrhage (bursting of a defective brain vessel) increased by 54 percent. The risk of hospital admission from ischemic stroke (resulting from a blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain) increased by 46 percent for PM10 per interquartile change and 55 percent for NO2 per interquartile change. Studies have shown associations between air pollution and daily death rates for respiratory and heart disease. But findings related to pollution's effect on stroke have conflicted. "This study provides new evidence that higher levels of ambient pollutants increase the risk of hospital admissions for stroke, especially on warm days," he said. On cool days, researchers noted a link between carbon dioxide levels and ischemic stroke admissions, but believe this may have been a finding by chance. (Science Daily, 2003-10-10)

Report on Health Effects of Sept. 11 attacks just released ... A National Emvironmental Health Association (NEHA) special report on environmental health work in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy has been released on September 22, 2003. (PDF document, October 9, 2003)
WTC Health Registry Ads To Go Up On Subways (NY1, October 8, 2003)

Clinton calls for broader apartment tests Downtown ... Senator Hillary Clinton announced last week that the White House, Congress and independent environmental experts will meet to determine the steps necessary to ensure the health of all New Yorkers affected by the World Trade Center dust plume. (Downtown Express, By Elizabeth O'Brien, October 07 - 13, 2003)

Council introduces pollution reduction bill ... The streets of Lower Manhattan could soon get a little less smoggy. At a City Council hearing last week, the Environmental Protection Agency urged the passage of a bill that would mandate the use of clean air technology for vehicles rebuilding the World Trade Center site. Under the proposed law, construction equipment Downtown, including the W.T.C. site, would have to use ultra low sulfur diesel fuel and special technology to reduce emissions. (Downtown Express, By Sascha Brodsky, October 07 - 13, 2003)

TALKING POINT: Overreacting to Whitman's deceit on air quality (Downtown Express, By Charles Komanoff, October 07 - 13, 2003)
DAY OF INFAMY 2001: False assurances put public at risk ... Watchdog: EPA more concerned about commerce than people's health (WorldNetDaily , By Sheila R. Cherry, October 7, 2003)

Committee Report Finds No EPA Fault After 9/11 ...A Senate Environment and Public Works Committee report released Sept. 23 claims the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House did not act inappropriately in addressing public health concerns in New York City after 9/11. The committee's report sharply contrasts an Aug. 22 EPA Inspector General's report that revealed EPA altered press releases to falsely reassure the public because of pressure from the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). (10/06/2003 )

Scientologist's Treatments Lure Firefighters ... For the past year, more than 140 New York City firefighters, some ailing from their work in the ruins of the World Trade Center, have walked into a seventh-floor medical clinic just two blocks from the former disaster site. Once inside, some have abandoned the medical care and emotional counseling provided to them by their own department's doctors, and all have taken up a treatment regimen devised by L. Ron Hubbard, the late science fiction writer and founder of the Church of Scientology. The firefighters take saunas, engage in physical workouts and swallow pills -- all of which together constitute what for years has been known, amid considerable dispute, as Mr. Hubbard's detoxification program, one meant to wash the body of poisons or toxins. The firefighters are not charged for their trips to the clinic, called Downtown Medical. Of the more than 140 firefighters and 15 emergency medical workers who have undergone the program, some have told colleagues of its virtues. Others have said they were simply following the regimen in order to enjoy free saunas. (NYTimes, by Michelle O'Donnell, October 4, 2003)
Investigate White House Deceptions (The Nation, 10/04/2003)

PUBLIC LIVES: A Public Health Warrior, Tracking 9/11 Trends ... DR. POLLY THOMAS is leaning over her computer, reviewing a daily graphic chart of people signing up for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Dr. Thomas is an assistant commissioner for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.The new registry, one of the biggest public health investigations in history, falls under Dr. Thomas's aegis in the department's Bureau of Surveillance. (NY Times, by Lynda Richardson, October 3, 2003)

Energy & Environment: Setting the Record Straight:: The White House, 9/11, and Air Quality.... It's no shock or scandal that CEQ coordinated, at the request of the President, the multi-agency task force (including EPA and OSHA) that organized the response effort. Put simply, CEQ had a statutory duty to participate in the planning. It's ludicrous to suggest that CEQ should not have played any role. Mr. Catanzaro is Communications Director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. (Humaneventsonline, by Michael Catanzaro, Oct 2, 2003)

Bush critics delay vote on Leavitt nomination to head EPA: Democrats boycott meeting ... Senate Democrats, seizing on an opportunity to try to squeeze information from the Bush administration, boycotted a meeting Wednesday and forced a two-week delay in voting to fill the top job at the Environmental Protection Agency. Eight Democrats refused to attend the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting to vote on President Bush's nomination of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt as EPA administrator. (CNN/AP, October 1, 2003)
White House aids WTC air probe ... The White House has agreed to work with Congress and independent environment experts to review the quality of air in lower Manhattan immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, Sen. Hillary Clinton said yesterday. The review will seek to determine whether air near Ground Zero was safe to breathe and whether toxins continue to linger in buildings near the attack site.(NY Daily News, October 1, 2003)
Environmental Muddle ... ASENATE COMMITTEE is to vote today on the nomination of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R) to the post of administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, if Democrats do not force postponement through boycott. (Washington Post Editorial, October 1, 2003)

• Messages in the Dust: What are the lessons of the environnmental health response to the terrorist attacks of September 11? (National Environmental Health Association, By Francesca Lyman, September 2003) REPORT
• Clinton blocks E.P.A. appointment over Downtown air ... "There is no doubt the E.P.A., at the White House's direction, misrepresented the air quality" around ground zero, Clinton said during a conference call with reporters after the hearing. "I am not going to stand quietly by and merely vote one way or another when I think it's imperative they take action."Clinton urged the E.P.A. to follow the steps recommended by its independent Office of Inspector General in a report released Aug. 22. The report revealed that the White House influenced what the agency told the public about air safety soon after the attacks of Sept.11, 2001. The E.P.A. "did not have sufficient data and analyses' to announce one week following the disaster that the air in Lower Manhattan was safe to breathe, the report concluded. (Downtown Express, By Elizabeth O'Brien, Sept 30 - Oct 06, 2003)
• Sen. Clinton vows to continue blocking EPA nominee ... WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she still plans to block President Bush's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency in an ongoing dispute over the administration's response to Sept. 11 air-quality concerns. Clinton, D-N.Y., met with White House environmental official James Connaughton Tuesday to discuss her intention to block a Senate vote on Utah governor Mike Leavitt's nomination to head the EPA. Clinton has vowed to use a parliamentary procedure known as a "hold" to prevent a full vote on Leavitt until the White House identifies which of its officials directed EPA, without scientific basis, to assure New Yorkers that air pollution from the World Trade Center rubble posed no threat. She also wants more thorough cleaning and testing of the area surrounding ground zero.(NY Newsday/AP, By Devlin Barrett, Associated Press, September 30, 2003)
• Nadler's Statement on Possible White House Review of EPA's Response to 9/11 (News Release, September 30, 2003)
  
• Survey: New Yorkers Unhappy With 9/11 Air Quality Information ... The Environmental Protection Agency's internal watchdog said Friday some New Yorkers didn't believe what the federal government was saying about air quality after the September 11 attacks. A survey done by the EPA's inspector general found that despite assurances from the agency, people were worried about their health after the Twin Towers collapsed. In a survey of 1,100 New Yorkers, about 83 percent of them who lived near the site said they thought there was a short-term health risk. About 61 percent of Lower Manhattan residents surveyed said they believed there was a long-term risk. About 82 percent of all the respondents also said they were unsatisfied with the EPA's information about outdoor air quality; 85 percent were unhappy about information concerning indoor air quality. (NY1, September 27, 2003)
  
• Report: NYers Unhappy with EPA Air Quality Info ... Most people surveyed "wanted more information regarding outdoor and indoor air quality, wanted this information in a more timely manner and did not believe the information they received," EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley concluded Friday (1010 WINS, Sep 27, 2003)
• Most Didn't Trust EPA on WTC Air: Survey: Skepticism ran deep just after 9/11 ... "Overall, the majority of respondents wanted more information regarding outdoor and indoor air quality, wanted this information in a more timely manner, and did not believe the information they received."Seventy-six percent initially feared they would suffer ill health from breathing the air in their homes or offices. By this past summer, 58 percent still feared the effects of indoor air. (NY Newsday, By Laurie Garrett, September 27, 2003)
  
• Survey of Air Quality Information Related to the World Trade Center Collapse (Report No. 2003-P-00014, Office of Inspector General, Evaluation Report, September 26, 2003)
• Survey: New Yorkers Unhappy With EPA Info ... (NY Newsday By Hohn Heilprin, September 26, 2003)
• EPA's Non-Scandal ... How can a scandalous report be released without triggering a scandal? There's a case study before us now. The recent report by the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency should by all rights have New Yorkers - and others concerned about whether their government is capable of lying about public health and safety - out in the streets. Yet the report has not generated the media coverage and public attention it deserves... Guess what? The EPA report was released on a Friday in August, when much attention - especially from New Yorkers - was fixed on the worst blackout in American history.(By Susan Moeller, September 25, 2003)
• SICKENED ADMAN FILES DENTSU-IT ... A hall-of-fame advertising executive is in federal court with a novel pitch: He got fired because he had the World Trade Center cough. Steve Penchina said he got violently ill from breathing acrid pollutants in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack, and had to cut back his work schedule as executive creative director at DCA Advertising, owned by the world's largest ad group, Dentsu of Japan. Penchina said his Japanese superiors berated and reprimanded him for missing 26 days of work in the three months following 9/11. "Dentsu abhorred sick leave," he said, saying the firm eventually fired him - in violation of numerous state and federal sick-leave rules. Penchina said the WTC air problems were so bad he couldn't even visit clients or his creative crews in lower Manhattan without choking or losing his vision from severely burning eyes. Doctors ordered him to stay at home and undergo therapy for the asthmatic condition, which doctors said was worsened by the polluted air that blanketed much of Manhattan, according to the suit in Manhattan federal court. (New York Post, Sep 25, 2003)
• WTC Health Registry Logs 10,000 ... The New York City Department of Health says that people from 47 states and nine countries have enrolled in the health registry in its first two weeks. Those who enroll are asked to complete a 30-minute telephone survey asking where they were on September Eleventh, 2001, how long they were in smoke-filled areas and whether they have had any health problems since. Participants will be called periodically and asked questions about their health to see if it has changed. The information will be compared with that of the general population to identify any health problems linked to the attacks. All information is confidential, and no medical exams or tests are required. (1010 WINS, Sep 24, 2003)
  
• World Trade Center: Asbestos Site Evaluation, Communication and Cleanup ... shows wipe sampling much better than
  
• microvac sampling for asbestos, and that dust sampling would be a much better indicator of cleaning than EPA's current criterion of "no visible dust." (EPA: Mark Maddaloni, Chuck Nace, Dan Harkay, Marty Freeman and Kathy Callahan, Keystone, Colorado, September 22-26, 2003)
• Hearing on E.P.A. Nominee Takes an Ideological Turn ... Senate Democrats used the confirmation hearing today on Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, President Bush's choice for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a forum to sharply criticize the administration's environmental record, all but ignoring the nominee sitting in front of them. (NYTimes, by Katharine Q. Seelye, September 24, 2003)
• Political Storm Develops after EPA Inspector General Reports that White House Downplayed Post-9/11 Health Hazards in Lower Manhattan (NYCOSH UPDATE September 24, 2003)
  
• 9/11 Dust Project Seeks People ... But the number of volunteers remains far below the registry's projected goal of enrolling 200,000 people who would be monitored for long-term health effects during the next 20 years. (NY Newsday, By Margaret Ramirez, September 24, 2003)
• Political Storm Develops after EPA Inspector General Reports that White House Downplayed Post-9/11 Health Hazards in Lower Manhattan (NYCOSH, September 24, 2003)
  
• Fools and Their Freedoms Are Soon Parted ... (CapitalBlue, By Doug Thompson, Sep 24, 2003)
• More Than 10,000 People From 47 U.S. States have Signed up for the World Trade Center Health Registry in its First Two Weeks ... Those Closest to the WTC Site on Sept. 11, 2001 or the Weeks and Months that Followed are Urged to Call 311 or visit www.wtcregistry.org (NYCDOHMH News Release, September 23, 2003)
• 10,000 Sign Up With WTC Health Registry (NY Newsday, By Margaret Ramirez, September 23, 2003)
• WTC Health Registry Numbers 10,000 In First Few Weeks ... People who wish to enroll undergo a 30-minute telephone survey to find out where they were on Sept. 11, 2001 and whether they've experienced any health problems since the attacks. Health officials will follow up periodically for the next 20 years. If you think you're eligible, you can call their toll free number at 1-866-NYC-WTCR or visit the website at www.wtcregistry.org. (NY1, by Itay Hod, September 23, 2003)
• Report on Health Effects of Sept. 11 attacks released: A NEHA special report on environmental health work in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy (National Environmental Health Association, by Francesca Lyman, September 22, 2003)
  
• Unmasking 'The Cough' ... "In March of this year I began coughing blood," says Willoughby of Levittown, who worked out of Engine Co. 309 in Flatbush. He said that getting masks the first few days at the pit was on a "first come, first serve" basis. ... "In March of this year I began coughing blood," says Willoughby of Levittown, who worked out of Engine Co. 309 in Flatbush. He said that getting masks the first few days at the pit was on a "first come, first serve" basis. ... He left the department in November of last year after tests showed that he had chronic pulmonary disease and a nodule on one of his lungs. Even so, one of his two boys has just passed a written firefighter test. (NY Newsday, Dennis Duggan, September 21, 2003)
• Ground Zero Workers Pay a Price ... As one of the potentially hundreds of Ground Zero workers and volunteers who got sick after Sept. 11, Rapp said he doesn't blame anyone for his illness, which he said has been diagnosed as restricted airway disease, with his lungs coated with the dust of the trade center ruins... Feinberg is encouraging people to apply before the Dec. 22 deadline, anticipating that all eligible claims will be processed and paid by June 15, 2004... Meanwhile, Rapp takes 12 different medicines daily, uses an oxygen tank and inhalers to breathe and sleeps on a recliner, afraid he's going to choke at night if he lays in bed. He fears the humidity and the winter hindering his breathing. (NY Newsday, By Katia Hetter, September 21, 2003)
  
• EPA Labor Unions' Statement on 9/11 Air Quality Scandal (Sep 21, 2003)
• Clearing the Air ... ROBERTA BASKIN: Did somebody from the White House call you at the Environmental Protection Agency and say, "Take it down a notch." ... CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN: No. We had calls from CEQ, the Council on Environmental Quality, within the White House, on some of the press releases and language. And how we were gonna say things. But nobody said, "Take it down a notch." (Now with Bill Moyers, 09/19/03)
• Kerry Attacks White House For 9/11 Air Quality Reports (NY1, September 18, 2003)
• E.P.A. clears building despite toxic report ... The Environmental Protection Agency oversaw the cleaning of 114 Liberty St. and cleared the building for re-occupancy despite the presence of toxic dust from the World Trade Center collapse, residents charged last week... Dr. Stephen Levin, medical director of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Mount Sinai, said on Monday that most Lower Manhattan residents have not likely been exposed to enough trade center toxins to significantly increase their risk of cancer 10, 15, or 20 years in the future. (Downtown Express, By Elizabeth O'Brien, September 16 - 22, 2003)
• Christie Whitman defends 9-11 air quality action (By Sandy Stuart, Observer-Tribune, 09/18/2003)
  
• Kerry endorsed by environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ... Kerry took aim at the Bush administration's stance on environmental issues and joined those calling for an investigation after an internal report from the Environmental Protection Agency said the agency, at the urging of White House officials, gave misleading assurances there was no health risk from the dust in the air after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. (Associated Press/NY Newsday, by Deepti Hajela, September 18, 2003)
• Dems Demand Hearings on EPA Air Quality Reports ... Democrats on Wednesday asked for hearings into allegations the Environmental Protection Agency misled New Yorkers about the dangers of debris in the air around the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 attacks. "We do not want the Congress of the United States to be party to a scandal," said the House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, of California. .... In response, Clinton has said she will put a hold on President Bush's nomination of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to head the EPA to force the administration to answer questions about the EPA's actions. (1010 WINS, Sep 17, 2003)
• White House Daily Briefing, September 17, 2003 ... Q: One other thing, if I could, on a slightly different topic. Did the administration ever get to the bottom of this claim by Senator Clinton that the EPA misinformed the public about the dangers of contaminants in the air after 9/11? Mr. McClellan: The EPA did respond to her initial letter and addressed those issues. We have addressed this repeatedly. We have also -- I believe a second letter was sent and we've indicated that the Chairman of the Council of Environmental Quality will be happy to sit down and meet with her. We're working on those details. And we'll be glad to sit down and meet with her to talk to her about the steps that we took to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers, specifically workers, in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, including providing respirators for those workers and encouraging those workers to wear those respirators....
• Democratic Leader Pelosi, Rep. Nadler and Ranking Members Demand Congressional Investigation on EPA's Failed Response to 9/11 (News Release, September 17, 2003)
  
• Edwards Joins Move to Block Bush EPA Pick ... Clinton, who was the first to say she would block Leavitt's nomination, said she would not allow it to go forward until the administration responds more fully to a report that the EPA misled New Yorkers about the health risks from contaminated air in the aftermath of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. An EPA inspector general said he EPA, at White House request, provided misleading advisories about the potential risks. Administration officials have denied any intention to mislead. Any senator can put a hold on a nomination, preventing it from being scheduled for a floor vote. Traditionally Senate leaders, no matter which party, have abided by such a request, although a nomination may still go through the committee process. (Guardian Newspapers/Associated Press, by H. Josef Herbt, September 16, 2003)
• World Trade Center Health Registry ... The city's health department has announced plans for what could become the largest public-health investigation ever: a comprehensive survey to follow the health of those people most directly exposed to 9/11's World Trade Center collapse and the subsequent clean-up efforts. (Gotham Gazette, by Sue Wilson, September, 2003)
  
• 9/11: The Toll on Rescue Workers ... Those include many in the building trades who often cannot return to work at their old jobs for fear of re-exposing themselves to dust and other irritants that can trigger asthmatic attacks, she said. "Many were at the peak of their earning years, with kids about to go to college. It's been terrible," she said. ... Keller spitting up handfuls of sand, dirt and small pebbles for two days, as if someone had ground his face and mouth into a sandbox. He is the only one who has been able to return to work regularly; Giebfried has gone back to work but since January has been hospitalized twice and taken to the emergency room seven times due to asthma... "Every time I get sick, it puts me 10 steps behind," Giebfried said. "People keep telling me there's nothing wrong with me, but I used to fish, play racquetball and soccer, paddleball. I can't run anymore. I get wiped out." DeShore, who is also pursuing a workers' compensation claim, said she recently had a noncancerous lump removed from her throat, something she fears may be related to her 9/11 exposures. (NY Newsday, By Roni Rabin, September 16, 2003)
• Environmental Defense Calls Clean Ferry Project First Of Its Kind: Cooperative Effort To Clean Private Ferries In New York Harbor Sets National Precedent ... "Diesel emissions contain more than 40 cancer-causing compounds, and since 9/11 the number of diesel ferries in New York Harbor has almost doubled," said Environmental Defense Living Cities program director Andy Darrell ... This project will clean emissions from more than 40 diesel-powered ferries or 85% of the total ferries in New York Harbor. At this time, none of the ferries in the Harbor are equipped with pollution controls. By using retrofits and cleaner fuels like ultra low sulfur diesel, this project could reduce emissions by 75 to 90%. (News Release, 09/16/03)
  
• 9/11 Environmental Action, New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH), Sierra Club (Press Release, September 15, 2003)
• NYers Protest Downtown Air Quality ... Anger about the air quality in lower Manhattan escalated yesterday as a coalition of residents, office workers and health experts cited evidence that asbestos and other toxins remain inside buildings at dangerous levels. (NY Newsday, By Margaret Ramirez, September 15, 2003)
• Lower Manhattan Residents Continue Criticism Of Air Quality ... Some Lower Manhattan residents are again lashing out at the federal government about the air quality in their neighborhood. (NY1, September 15, 2003)
• Concerned Residents and Workers Demand the Truth About Toxic Hazards from the WTC Attack and Proper Cleanup (News Release, September 15, 2003)
• 9/11 AIR OUTRAGE ... Christie Whitman has three words for many of the Ground Zero rescue workers suffering from "tower lung" and other lingering health problems: We warned you. (NYPost, By Susan Edelman and Stefan C. Friedman, September 14, 2003)
• Sept 11 is also the worst urban environmental disaster ... Some environmentalists in the United States believe the tragedy of September 11 was not only the worst terrorist attack against America. To them, it is also the worst urban environmental disaster. (channelnewsasia, by US Correspondent Catherine Drew, 12 September 2003)
• World Trade Center Health Coverup? Experts frustrated by false reassurances of air safety (Consumer Health Interactive, By Laurie Udesky, Sept. 12, 2003)
• TWO YEARS LATER: AIR QUALITY; Study Says Ground Zero Soot Lingered ... (NYTtimes, by Kirk Johnson, September 11, 2003)
• Anger builds over EPA's 9-11 report ... Apartments were tested for only one pollutant: asbestos. The testing method used excluded active testing, which uses a fan to kick up the pollutants lurking in carpets, drapes and corners, unless applicants opted for the most aggressive cleanup, which prohibited the resident from being present (and, some say, discouraged many people from signing up). (MSNBC, By Francesca Lyman, September 11, 2003)
• Still in the dark over WTC dust ... Two years after the collapse of the World Trade Center, health officials still have no idea whether most of lower Manhattan's commercial buildings have been properly cleaned. In February 2002, the city Department of Environmental Protection asked owners of 1,073 residential and commercial buildings near Ground Zero to furnish reports of all post-9/11 environmental tests and cleanup work. The city received responses from only 354 buildings, DEP spokesman Charles Sturcken said yesterday. Of those, 31 buildings - nearly 10% - reported hazardous asbestos levels that required professional abatement. But two-thirds of building owners did not even reply - and 18 months later, the city has not followed up. (NY Newsday, September 11, 2003)
• Health fears over Twin Towers' plume ... Paul Lioy, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, emphasised to the meeting the sheer diversity of chemicals that were present in the dust. A mixture of plastics, computer hardware, synthetic furniture and hundreds of miles of wire burned to produce an aerosol of astonishing complexity. Out of 400 organic alkanes, pthalates and polyaromatic hydrocarbons he identified, the majority had never before been detected in the air, he says. One such compound, detected by researchers from the US Environmental Protection Agency, was diphenyl propane, thought to have come from burning plastic. The health consequences of breathing it are totally unknown, says EPA scientist Leonard Stockburger. Scientists from the US Geological Survey showed that even among the well-known molecules and crystals, new shapes of particle were thrown up by the plume. "They detected fibrous, cylindrical materials, which have a totally different behaviour to spherical particles," says Michael Hays of the EPA, who attended the meeting. "How does that influence inhalation routes?" But the scientists were careful to be clear about their message. "We don't want people to get the wrong impression. For long term effects, we are simply in an area of unknowns," says Lioy. (NewScientist.com, 11 September 03)
  
• Editorial Flip-Flop: Daily News Revives Buried Scoop (Village Voice, by Cynthia Cotts, September 10 - 16, 2003)
  
• 'Brutal' effects of Ground Zero fumes ... Scientists who have analysed the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center say that workers at Ground Zero suffered "brutal" effects from the fumes coming out of the wreckage. (BBC, 09/10/03)
  
• Trade Center Debris Pile Was A Chemical Factory, Says New Study ... (Science Daily, 2003-09-11)
• The Alarming Report About The EPA's Response To 9/11 ... Two chapters of the report, about 20 pages total, defend the legality of the Environmental Protection Agency's behavior at and around Ground Zero, while at the same time chiding it for not being "proactive" enough in asserting its authority in various realms. One realm in particular, cleanup of indoor spaces contaminated by the attack, comes under special scrutiny. The report notes that in the first months after the attack agency press releases "deferred to the New York City Department of Health guidance even though EPA's position on indoor cleanup was different [from] the city's." When it comes to explaining this institutional timidity, however, the report goes timid itself: "EPA does not have clear statutory authority to establish and enforce health-based regulatory standard for indoor air," the report notes. "Neither CERCLA [Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act] nor NCP [National Contingency Plan] obligate EPA to undertake response actions." (Gotham Gazette, by Sam Williams, September, 2003)
• Wrangling Over a Cleanup at 90 Church Street ... Two years after the collapse of the World Trade Center across the street rained debris and contaminated dust on 90 Church Street, the Art Deco former federal building is still in the midst of legal wrangles and problems with cleaning it up... The World Trade Center attack caused some fires and broken windows, but 90 Church the building survived; no one in the building was killed or seriously injured. The real damage, it turned out, was in the dust and debris that fell onto the site, and the mold from water that poured into the building. Tests found that the interior was permeated with lead, mercury, asbestos, heavy metals, bacteria and mold. (NY Times, by Josh Barbanel, September 10, 2003)
• Full Effects of WTC Pollution May Never Be Known ... The air that hovered over New York in the months after the collapse of the Twin Towers contained an unprecedented combination of chemicals, scientists said yesterday. As such, they said it may be impossible to forecast the longterm health impact. The scientists, from a host of government and university laboratories, gathered yesterday for the first time to compare findings about the dust, debris and polluted air in the aftermath of 9/11, in a conference at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. (NY Newsday, By Laurie Garrett, September 10, 2003)
• 'False Claim' by EPA Alleged in N.Y. Cleanup: Building Near Ground Zero at Issue ... An Environmental Protection Agency hazardous-waste expert charged in a memorandum released yesterday that her agency repeatedly mishandled the cleanup of an apartment building near the site of the World Trade Center in New York and then made a false scientific claim in arguing against conducting a third cleanup. Cate Jenkins, a 24-year EPA veteran who has butted heads with the agency's leadership before, said that the EPA made a "false claim" that the asbestos found by independent experts retained by the building's residents had been there before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "EPA made no attempt to determine the accessibility of the areas tested by residents before dismissing them as being from previously existing asbestos," she said in her memo. The EPA's decision that the building was "clean" meant that the residents were no longer entitled to federal cleanup assistance, although the residents' study found that dust was still visible inside and contained levels of asbestos and silica far in excess of federal health standards. (Washington Post, By Eric Pianin and Michael Powell, September 10, 2003)
• Health Worries Plague Ground Zero Workers ... Today marks the two-year deadline for workers hurt on Sept. 11 to file claims with the state Workers Compensation Board. Some unions have been reminding their members of the deadline to protect their rights should a problem arise down the road. Board spokesman John Sullivan said 5,539 people, including Ground Zero workers, have filed claims so far for injury or exposure. Thomassen estimated that about 150 of 1,000 Ground Zero carpenters have received medical help for respiratory conditions.(NY Newsday, By Graham Rayman, September 10, 2003)
• Study: WTC fires spewed toxic gases for weeks (CNN, September 10, 2003)
• Lingering peril of 9/11: Ground Zero workers ran toxic risk, UCD study says (The Sacramento Bee, by Chris Bowman, September 10, 2003)
• Study sees Trade Center health issues (MSNCB, September 10, 2003)
• Memo spills dirt on EPA's WTC cleanup (NY Daily News, by Maggie Haberman, 9/10/03)
• Editorial Flip-Flop: Daily News Revives Buried Scoop (September 10 - 16, 2003)
• Families Dispute EPA Pollution Findings ... Two years after the 9/11 tragedy, some residents of lower Manhattan have not returned to their homes because tests show levels of asbestos, silica and other toxins remain at dangerous levels. (NY Newsday, By Laurie Garrett, September 9, 2003)
  
• EPA scientist: WTC dust still in building cleaned after attacks .... David Stanke, president of the building's condominium board, said the apartment owners have approved more than $7.5 million in cleaning costs separate from the government. He said the building is still uninhabitable. (NY Newsday, by Amy Westfeldt, September 9, 2003)
• 9/11: What Did the EPA Know and When Did It Know It? (Institute for Public Accuracy Experts News Release, September 9, 2003)
• Cleanup Did Not Make Building Across From WTC Safe, EPA Memo Says ... An indoor cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency following the World Trade Center attack has not eliminated the health risk in a Downtown apartment building, according to a memo by a veteran worker at the agency... According to Jenkins, the EPA ignored independent tests commissioned by residents which showed high levels of asbestos and silica dust, this despite undergoing two abatements. (NY1, September 9, 2003)
• Nadler: New Whistleblower Document Reveals Failure of EPA Indoor Cleanup Program: "Best Effort" Cleanup at 114 Liberty Street Left Behind Dangerous Toxins; Residents Still Displaced 2 Years Later (Nadler, September 9, 2003)
  
• NY1 For You: Two Years After 9/11, Residents Of 114 Liberty Street Still Haven't Moved Home ... But they're still concerned about the neighboring Deutsche Bank building. "Who is going to make a guarantee to us that when they start dismantling that or whatever it is that's going to happen that we're not going to get contaminated again?" says Abramson. "If they decide to take it down, we've got two or three years of deconstruction followed by three more years of construction," says Stanke. (NY1, September 9, 2003)
• Registry Seeks Answer To The Question: "Was WTC Air Safe To Breathe?" ... Two years after the attack on the World Trade center, city and federal health officials launched a registry that may finally answer one very important question: Was the air around the area known as "Ground Zero" unsafe to breathe? "We're going to tell it like it is," said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden on Friday. The promise by health officials comes at a particularly sensitive time, just two weeks after a report by the U.S. inspector general concluded that the White House deliberately suppressed sensitive information regarding the poor air quality around Ground Zero in the days immediately following the attacks. (NY1, September 9, 2003)
• Toxic Dangers from 9/11 (Flashpoints, September 9, 2003)
• Health effects plague 9/11 rescuers ... When Dan Kochensparger was on his hands and knees sifting through cement, metal and other debris at the World Trade Center site in New York, specks were floating in the thick air. He didn't think about what they were... Preliminary results show 48 percent of workers with ear, nose and throat problems such as nasal congestion, hoarseness, headaches and throat irritation. Thirty percent have pulmonary problems, including shortness of breath, persistent cough and wheezing. (CNN, September 8, 2003)
• E.P.A. in the Cross Hairs ... The Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality have been sharply criticized for playing down the potential dangers of exposure to ash, smoke and dust generated by the collapse of the World Trade Center... The main issue is whether apartments and offices have been adequately cleaned and tested to ensure that no toxic dust remains to cause a long-term risk to inhabitants. The inspector general's report faults both the E.P.A. and, by implication, New York City's Health Department for failing to press residents and businesses to seek professional cleaning in contaminated apartments instead of doing the cleaning themselves... (NY Times OP-ED, September 7, 2003)
• Uncertainty Lingers Over 9/11 Air Pollution ... The air in Lower Manhattan after Sept. 11 has swirled back into the news -- what people knew about it, when they knew it and what they said about it... "Generally for the public, her statement wasn't that far off in the end," said George D. Thurston, an associate professor of environmental medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. "But it was premature and had no basis at that point. People don't want to be reassured. They want the facts." ... (NY Times, by Kirk Johnson, September 7, 2003)
• Clinton to Block E.P.A. Nominee to Pressure Bush on Air Quality ... Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that she would block the nomination of Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency until President Bush responded to her concerns about air quality around the World Trade Center... "This is a really serious issue that has long-lasting consequences not only for New York, but also for the quality of our environment and the trust in our government," she said. "I can see no other way to get the administration's attention." (NY Times, by Winnie Hu, September 7, 2003)
• 9/11 health watch: 300,000 around WTC to be studied for 20 yrs... Brooklynites living or working in areas where the dust cloud traveled over aren't eligible. (NY Daily News, By Maggie Haberman, September 7, 2003)
• Inquiry Opens Into Effects of 9/11 Dust ... One of the biggest public health investigations in history opened yesterday in Lower Manhattan, aiming to follow the long-term physical and mental journeys of up to 200,000 people who were exposed to fire and smoke on Sept. 11, 2001. (NYTimes, by Kirk Johnson, September 6, 2003)
  
• Clinton To Block EPA Nominee ... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday she planned to block President Bush's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency because of a report suggesting the EPA misled New Yorkers about post-Sept. 11 health risks. (NY Newsday, September 6, 2003)
• Respiratory Problems For Downtown Residents ... Preliminary results of a study organized by the New York State Department of Health, NYU/Bellevue, and local community organizations show that residents of Lower Manhattan who have lived within a one-mile radius of Ground Zero since 9/11 have significantly more persistent new-onset respiratory symptoms ... Interestingly, the lung damage was not apparent from the tests doctors usually use first to diagnose asthma and other lung damage-a test called spirometry, which measures how quickly and efficiently the lungs can exhale and inhale. The lung damage showed up during a test called a methacholine challenge, which can be used to test for asthma or to determine a person's likelihood of developing asthma. Affected residents were discovered to have "twitchy lungs", meaning that their lungs reacted more quickly to potential asthma triggers. (Community Board #1 Dispatch News, click on Summer 2003)
• Government Creates Registry To Track 9/11-Related Illnesses ... Due to lingering concerns about health effects, the government has started a health registry for New Yorkers who think they've come down with an illness related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center... Experts said the dust and debris created by the collapse of the Twin Towers may have dozens of unknown health effects. "Without a registry, it would be very difficult to actually put together all the people who were there, how they were exposed, what they're circumstances were, where they were, what kinds of health problems they have," said Dr. Henry Falk of the Centers for Disease Control. (NY1, September 6, 2003)
• Troubled By 9/11 Air Report, Clinton Plans To Block Bush's EPA Nominee ... Troubled by a report concerning health risks in the city after the terror attacks, Senator Hillary Clinton plans to block President George W. Bush's EPA nominee. (NY1, September 6, 2003)
• Exclusive: 'We Were Not Told to Lie' About 9/11 and Health ... After stepping down this summer as the head of the EPA, the embattled Christine Todd Whitman is once again in the hot seat. (NEWSWEEK, Sept. 8 issue)
• Clinton Calls on President to Provide Answers Regarding EPA's Response to 9/11: Senator Remains Outraged by EPA's Suppression of Information Following World Trade Center Disaster and Reiterates Call For Senate Hearings Into the Matter (News Release, September 5, 2003)
• Registry to monitor WTC health effects ... NEW YORK (AP) -- City and federal health officials launched a registry Friday to track any long-term health effects from the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers... Falk said people should enroll even if they feel they're healthy by calling either 311 or 1-866-NYC-WTCR, or going on the registry Web site. (CNN, September 5, 2003)
• INHOFE ISSUES STATEMENT ON EPA IG REPORT: Rejects request for hearing, denounces political attacks on the President ... Washington, D.C.--Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, responded today to a request for a committee hearing on the EPA's Inspector General report that examined EPA's response to September 11: Today four Democratic members of the EPW Committee sent me a letter requesting a hearing on the report by the EPA's Office of Inspector General detailing the federal government's response to the September 11th attacks. Considering the unprecedented nature of the attacks, the response, in all its forms, was highly commendable, as hundreds of dedicated and courageous public servants, surrounded by fear and chaos, went to extraordinary lengths to provide the public with essential information about air quality and health risks. 'My staff has been studying the IG report and, if necessary, will take appropriate steps to gather any additional information that can shed light on this matter. Thus it is not necessary to hold a public hearing in order for the committee to conduct its oversight role. (News Release, September 4, 2003)
• Senior EPA specialists Comment Today On Deletions of Warnings About 9/11 Toxins (Institute for Public Accuracy News Release, September 4, 2003)
• Whitman: EPA told all the truth: Insists post-9/11 Ground Zero statements were not politicized ... The following is the transcript of NBC News' interview with former EPA Administrator Christie Whitman contesting the EPA inspector general's report charging that the EPA did not give full information to the public about the safety of breathing the air around the World Trade Center site in New York City after Sept. 11, 2001. (MSNBC, Sept. 3, 2003)
• What was known about post-9/11 air: Inspector general says White House changed EPA statements about safety at Ground Zero ... In fact, a new report by Tinsley's office says, at the time, more than 25 percent of dust samples collected before Sept. 18 showed unsafe levels of asbestos. And the EPA had no test results at all on PCBs, dioxins or particulates in the air that can cause respiratory problems. Tinsley said, "The EPA did not give the people of New York complete information. It had put together press releases that were more informative than those that it ultimately released...." (MSNBC, By Lisa Myers, Sept. 3, 2003)
• Raising a stink about the EPA ... As traumatized New Yorkers trudged through ash-covered streets after 9/11, many wondered how dangerous it was to breathe the acrid air that smelled of chemicals and death. Common sense said the asbestos, benzene and other toxins released in the collapse would harm those who inhaled them. But the Environmental Protection Agency insisted otherwise... A News poll of New Yorkers found that 77% believe the EPA's voluntary cleanup program downtown was insufficient and that the federal government should pay for a full decontamination of commercial and residential buildings affected by 9/11.(NY Daily News, Sept. 3, 2003)
• NADLER TO WHITMAN: A LIE IS A LIE IS A LIE ... Rebuts Whitman's Comments in Newsweek on WTC Debris Clean-Up (News Release, September 2, 2003)
• WTC air fit to breathe? ... (NY Daily News, By Marianne Lamont Horinko, September 2nd, 2003)
• Christie airs EPA handling of 9/11 ... Former environmental chief Christie Whitman says the White House never told her to lie about air quality near Ground Zero - but concedes she did not object when words of caution were pulled from public statements... About 40% of the 6,300 workers and volunteers screened by Mount Sinai Medical Center as of June suffered from respiratory problems. The former EPA head also told Newsweek her agency repeatedly warned people living near Ground Zero to have their homes professionally cleaned before returning. (NYDaily News, September 1, 2003)

AUGUST

• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other semivolatile organic compounds collected in New York City in response to the events of 9/11... The results indicate that the remaining air plumes from the disaster site were comprised of many pollutants and classes and represent a complex mixture of biogenic (wood-smoke) and anthropogenic sources. ... In addition, the compound 1,3-diphenylpropane[1',1'-(1,3-propanediyl)bis-benzene] was observed, and to our knowledge, this species has not previously been reported from ambient sampling. It has been associated with polystyrene and other plastics, which are in abundance at the WTC site. These emissions lasted for at least 3 weeks (September 26-October 21, 2001) after the initial destruction of the WTC. (Environ Sci Technol. 2003 Aug 15;37(16):3537-46.)
• Many Still Not Breathing Easy ... Elizabeth Eagle was living on the Lower East Side two years ago, and her husband worked at American Express across the street from the World Trade Center. Shortly after the terror attack, Eagle, with no history of pulmonary problems, experienced pain in her sinuses and trouble breathing. "It turned out I had sinusitis, and I had never had a sinus infection in my life," she said yesterday at the downtown Nelson Rockefeller Park. "In April [2002] I had sinus surgery at St. Vincent's." ... "I was put on [the inhaler] Ibuterol," Betty's co-worker Jeane said. "I couldn't breathe. And I never had asthma or any problems before." The women said their employer ordered them back to their offices after the EPA said the downtown air was "safe to breathe." And "one by one, everybody got sick," co-worker Michelle said. "It was a sort of cold. ... And it would go on and on and on." (NY Newdsay, by Laurie Garrett, August 28, 2003)
  
• Health Problems Persist Among Ground Zero Workers ... Nearly two years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, a medical screening program continues to reveal a surprisingly high rate of physical and mental health problems among cleanup and rescue workers at the site. About 48 percent of workers screened had ear, nose and throat problems such as nasal congestion, hoarseness, headaches and throat irritation, according to the latest figures from the program. Another 30 percent had pulmonary problems, including shortness of breath, persistent cough and wheezing... "It was such a massive irritant exposure," Moline said. "Some people will be left with permanent respiratory symptoms." Soot from the collapse of the towers contained asbestos, lead, glass fibers and concrete. (1010Wins, August 28, 2003)
  
• Time to come clean on mess downtown ... One of the biggest issues for the rebuilding of lower Manhattan is what to do about cleaning up the environmental mess caused by 9/11.... The federal government's cleanup program did not even begin to address the problem. For one thing, it was limited to apartments - and then only for people who requested it. Left out of the program were some 1,500 commercial buildings used each day by tens of thousands of workers. (NYDaily News, by Juan Gonzalez, August 28, 2003)
• Clinton and Nadler Seek Inquiry Into E.P.A. Response to Sept. 11 ... Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Representative Jerrold L. Nadler called yesterday for a Congressional inquiry into the Environmental Protection Agency's response to the World Trade Center attack, saying that the agency and the White House had not told the truth about potential health hazards... Standing on the steps of City Hall, Senator Clinton charged that the agency had failed to provide adequate warnings, leading rescue workers, residents and others to take fewer precautions after the attacks. She demanded that the agency undertake new testing and cleaning. (New York Times, by Winnie Hu, August 27, 2003, requires free password)
  
• Air Scare! Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Acting EPA Administrator Marianne Lamont Horinko respond to a report that says the White House gave the all-clear on Manhattan air quality too soon after the September 11th attacks. (The Brian Lehrer Show, August 27, 2003)
• Greens Call for Investigation and Prosecution of EPA, NSC, White House Officials Who Lied About the Quality of Air Near the 9/11 Site in New York City (News Release, August 27, 2003)
• E.P.A. admits to 'mistakes' after 9/11 ... U.S. Rep Jerrold Nadler called on the Environmental Protection Agency to undertake a thorough cleaning of residences and workplaces affected by dust from the World Trade Center collapse after an independent report recommended that the agency take further action against indoor contamination. The agency criticized the report, but acknowledged unspecified 'mistakes.' ... Gerson has introduced legislation that would require the city Department of Environmental Protection to collect 'statistically and scientifically sound' ground, dust, and air sampling throughout the entire area that was under the trade center dust plume. The results would help the E.P.A. in its cleaning efforts, Gerson said. (Downtown Express, By Elizabeth O'Brien, Aug. 26 - Sept. 1, 2003)
• Clinton calls for hearings on EPA's 9/11 report ... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called Tuesday for Senate hearings on a recently released Environmental Protection Agency inspector general's report that says the agency prematurely asserted that the air was safe to breathe after the... (CNN, August 26, 2003)
• Sen. Clinton On WTC Air: "They Didn't Tell Us The Truth" ... Joined by several city and health officials, Senator Hillary Clinton Tuesday accused the White House of giving false assurances about air quality in Lower Manhattan following the September 11, 2001 attacks... Even the man who was praised for his leadership during the aftermath of 9/11 didn't come out unscathed. The report states former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani declined assistance from the EPA... Both Clinton and Nadler say they're demanding an investigation into this scandal, and request a new clean-up be put into motion to ensure the safety of those still living and working in Lower Manhattan. (NY1, August 26, 2003)
• OP-ED: Dust and Deception ... Last week a quietly scathing report by the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed what some have long suspected: in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse, the agency systematically misled New Yorkers about the risks the resulting air pollution posed to their health. And it did so under pressure from the White House. (NYTimes, by Paul Krugman, August 26, 2003, requires free password)
• It's public be damned at the EPA ... For nearly two years, officials at the federal Environmental Protection Agency have denied that they failed to properly inform New Yorkers of the dangers of toxic releases from the collapse of the World Trade Center... The White House changes were the work of James Connaughton, chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. Connaughton, who had been on the job for three months, was an industry lawyer who represented major asbestos and toxic polluters before his appointment by President Bush... According to the scathing new report, the EPA passed off a misleading minimum asbestos safety standard of 70 fibers per square millimeter - though its own policy for years has stated there is no known safe level of asbestos. (NY Daily News, by Juan Gonzalez, August 26, 2003)
• Hil wants Bush to clear the air on EPA's actions after 9/11 ... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday asked President Bush to explain a government report's charges that the White House concealed information about potential air quality risks after the World Trade Center attack two years ago. (AP/NY Daily News, August 26, 2003)
• Nadler Says IG Report Confirms That EPA-led Cleanup is Flawed and Inadequate: Calls on Mayor Bloomberg to Demand a Proper Post 9/11 NYC Cleanup (News Release, August 26, 2003)
  
• Nadler Demands DOJ Investigation on White House and EPA 9/11 Response (News Release, August 25, 2003)
  
• Senators Clinton and Lieberman Demand Explanation of White House Role in Suppressing Public Health Information Following World Trade Center Disaster (News Release, August 26, 2003)
  
• The Air After 9/11 ... The final report, released Friday, included a response from EPA defending its conduct, saying that the agency did the best that it could under the circumstances. But both U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes lower Manhattan, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called on the Justice Department to investigate the environmental agency's response to the terror attacks. (Gotham Gazette, August 25, 2003)
• EPA critical, but in Bush Mike trusts .... Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday the city will review a report accusing the White House of deliberately playing do