Asbestos Levels and the Government

Studies show that for a few days after the 9/11 attacks, the levels of asbestos in the Manhattan air were abnormally high.  The government claims, however, that the levels never reached a point where they could be considered harmful to humans, and therefore left citizens unconcerned for their own safety.

This information was included in a report released by the Office of the Inspector General of the EPA.  It states that some of the information that was released by the EPA was “softened” before being released to the general public.  Information that would reassure the citizens was included and information that would cause a “stir in society” was eliminated.  When the EPA made statements regarding the asbestos levels in the air just days after the attacks, there was not sufficient data to claim that the research was legit.

Christie Whitman, EPA Administrator at the time, released a memo the morning after the attacks stating “All statements to the media should be cleared through the NSC before they are released.”  For example, an original document stated that citizens in the surrounding areas should have their homes professionally cleaned, while the document that was issued to the public stated that citizens should follow the instructions given to them by New York City Officials.  This is one among many other alterations and deletions that were made to EPA documents before releasing them to the public.

In addition, statements about the quality of the air and the levels of airborne asbestos were significantly changed to mislead the people.  The EPA stated, “Samples confirm previous reports that ambient air quality meets OHSA (Occupation Safety and Health Administration) standards and consequently is not a cause for public concern.”  Statements regarding specific levels of asbestos in the air, clean up procedures, and public safety were also significantly obscured in order to not raise a great amount of concern among citizens in Manhattan.

New York’s government leaders responded in a somewhat disheartening manner.  In an interview, New York Senator Charles Schumer, said it was “understandable that in the midst of a crisis the White House did not want the EPA to sound alarmist.”  He continued and warned, “If the public loses faith that things are under control when the government says so, we’ll have done more damage than a pointed statement the week after 9/11 would have.”  Other government officials made no comments on the topic.

It was found that the government ignored its own long-standing, vast collection of knowledge about pollution that results from demolition, incineration, and other major destructive occurrences.  The EPA should have had enough information and wisdom to know that immediately informing the public about the dangers that the attack was the best thing they could have done, whether or not they had solid evidence.

FEMA, along with the EPA, working with New York City’s own health department, said to families that it was easy to safeguard against asbestos exposure by simply wiping the dust with a wet rag.  They even went so far as discouraging them from wearing protective face masks.

It was also reported that the EPA failed to investigate and disclose hazards of toxins properly.  It was stated on the EPA’s website that no polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were released.  PAHs are cancer causing chemicals that are generally released into the air by combustion of mixed materials.  According to the site, the materials were not found “in any air samples.”  However, four independent tests found them at unusually high levels.  It was even stated in a scientific journal that the EPA’s own research scientists found PAHs were at a level of, “the most serious kind of concern.”

Even after it was apparent that the exposure to asbestos after the September 11th attacks was affecting people’s health, the federal government failed to change its safety policies and medical assurances for those in the area.  Additionally, employees of a sister company to the EPA revealed that they were also suffering from ailments likely related to the attacks on the World Trade Center.  This news was not published until 2002, and even then was done so quietly.

The majority of those that worked at Ground Zero did not have proper protection, especially in the early weeks on the job.  It was reported that federal assurances of safety gave workers conflicting messages about the need to wear respirator masks, which workers were hesitant to wear in the first place because of the fact that the equipment was heavy, difficult to wear, and exhausting to use.  If they had known that it would prevent them from a number of illnesses, the workers would have been more willing to wear the equipment.

OHSA, for whatever reason, refused to enforce worker safety standards at Ground Zero, in effect, putting all of the workers in more danger than necessary.  OSHA claimed that they had no authority in safety regulations when it came to national emergencies.  Even after the state of emergency was no longer in effect, the refusal to warn workers about the dangers of asbestos exposure continued.

More Information on the September 11 Attacks and the World Trade Center Buildings:

Main WTC Page

Asbestos and the World Trade Center

Asbestos Facts and EPA Information

Statistics