Submission + - New York City Forced to Release 170,000 Pages Exposing 9/11 Toxic Air Deception (nytimes.com)
schwit1 writes: New York City has been forced to release more than 170,000 pages of documents exposing how government officials assured Americans that the air around Ground Zero was safe despite evidence showing dangerous contaminants remained in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The massive document release comes 25 years after thousands of first responders, workers, residents, and others were exposed to the toxic cloud that engulfed Lower Manhattan following the collapse of the World Trade Center.
The records show officials had information indicating troubling levels of asbestos and other hazardous contaminants while the public was being reassured about the safety of the air.
The documents are now being released after transparency organization 9/11 Health Watch sued New York City to force their disclosure.
The revelations come as people exposed to the toxic aftermath continue to suffer and die from cancers, respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and other conditions decades later.
The newly disclosed records contain evidence of hazardous conditions extending beyond the immediate footprint of the Twin Towers.
In November 2001 an audit was prepared by a private company and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency that relied on information collected by New York City and state agencies.
The findings raised serious concerns.
“That audit demonstrated that air concentration of the carcinogen benzene was still spiking near the towers’ footprint, and that the concentration of asbestos in the air at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island had increased after the attacks,” the New York Times reported.
The records also show higher-than-acceptable levels of asbestos and other contaminants in dust and air elsewhere in Lower Manhattan.
Yet Americans were being told something very different.
Officials Told the Public the Air Was ‘Safe’
The massive document release comes 25 years after thousands of first responders, workers, residents, and others were exposed to the toxic cloud that engulfed Lower Manhattan following the collapse of the World Trade Center.
The records show officials had information indicating troubling levels of asbestos and other hazardous contaminants while the public was being reassured about the safety of the air.
The documents are now being released after transparency organization 9/11 Health Watch sued New York City to force their disclosure.
The revelations come as people exposed to the toxic aftermath continue to suffer and die from cancers, respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and other conditions decades later.
The newly disclosed records contain evidence of hazardous conditions extending beyond the immediate footprint of the Twin Towers.
In November 2001 an audit was prepared by a private company and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency that relied on information collected by New York City and state agencies.
The findings raised serious concerns.
“That audit demonstrated that air concentration of the carcinogen benzene was still spiking near the towers’ footprint, and that the concentration of asbestos in the air at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island had increased after the attacks,” the New York Times reported.
The records also show higher-than-acceptable levels of asbestos and other contaminants in dust and air elsewhere in Lower Manhattan.
Yet Americans were being told something very different.
Officials Told the Public the Air Was ‘Safe’
