Search to Continue Atop Asbestos-Ridden NYC Building

July 5, 2006 - Government officials in Manhattan are allowing workers to continue their search for human remains atop a building destroyed in the WTC disaster.  After a two-month delay caused by failure to comply with safety precautions, workers, wearing masks for protection from asbestos and other contaminants, will continue cleaning the roof of the former Deutsche Bank building of toxic materials and searching for remains, said John Gallagher, spokesman for the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.

In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) abruptly halted work at the site, maintaining that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation – who now owns the building - failed to protect their workers from asbestos inhalation by providing them with the proper gear.  After extensive testing and the assurance that protection would be provided, the EPA has now determined that the search may continue.

Thus far, more than 600 human remains have been found atop the building, and families of those who perished in the World Trade Center attacks have been anxious for the search to resume.