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Asbestos
For links to more
news articles concerning the health effects of exposure to asbestos,
click here.
For links material published
before January 1, 2003, click
here.
Breaking news
- 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.
 (Daily News, October 28, 2003)
- An Air
of Discontent: WTC workers worry about post-Sept.11 health risks —
Tom Dougherty, a union carpenter, labors at the future site of
a massive office tower at Columbus Circle but, however grudgingly,
he found himself thinking this week about the year he spent at
Ground Zero. Dougherty, 42, a member of Carpenters Local 608,
says the tradesmen he worked with were "as close to a family
I've ever come across in the workplace," but like old war
comrades, the group has since dispersed to job sites around the
city. "We always say we'll get together but we never do,"
he said. "How do you go back to what it was when you were
there? You don't want to keep talking about it. You don't want
to forget it, but you don't want to think about it. I don't want
to talk about it and yet I'm talking about it right now."
On the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Dougherty
and other Ground Zero veterans said they are most concerned these
days about their long-term health, particularly after recent
disclosures that federal officials underplayed health risks in
lower Manhattan. (Newsday, September 11, 2003)
- A 'Chemical
Factory' in Skies — The air that hovered
over New York in the months after by 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 long-term health impact. (Newsday, 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. (New York Daily News, September 11,
2003)
- Study
Says Ground Zero Soot Lingered — New research into the
impact of air pollution from the World Trade Center disaster
mostly confirms, for better and for worse, some of the earliest
tentative conclusions reached just after the attack, scientists
said yesterday. The air across most of Lower Manhattan quickly
returned to generally normal conditions, with periodic jumps
in the levels of ash and soot, but remained downright horrible
for weeks at the smoldering mound of ground zero itself. (New York Times, September 11, 2003)
- Anger
builds over EPA's 9-11 report — Two years after the
World Trade Center attacks, New Yorkers say they're outraged
by reports that the White House influenced the Environmental
Protection Agency to downplay hazards posed by the toxic dust
that fell in an avalanche over the city. The EPA's acting chief
defends the agency's actions after the attacks, saying it hopes
to be better prepared for "the next time." (MSNBC, September 11, 2003)
- Internal
EPA Document Reveals Agency Shortcomings in Lower Manhattan — An official internal investigation has sharply
called into question the Environmental Protection Agency’s
actions concerning the safety of Lower Manhattan air in the aftermath
of the attack on the World Trade Center. In a 4-page document
that was leaked to reporters and health and safety advocates,
the EPA Office of the Inspector General outlines numerous EPA
failures to carry out established policies and operating procedures,
all having the effect of minimizing EPA interventions that could
have warned or protected the public. In addition, the document
includes strong evidence that the White House staff was exercising
direct control over the EPA’s public statements concerning
possible health hazards after September 11. (NYCOSH Update on Safety
and Health, March 28, 2003)
- N.Y. Firefighters Complain
About Feds —
Gritty dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers
still lines the crevices, corners and cracks of lower Manhattan
firehouses, which federal environmental officials refuse to include
in their cleanup program, firefighters say. The Environmental
Protection Agency has been scrubbing apartments of downtown residents
who signed up for the free service but won't send crews to the
four firehouses in the area, firefighters and union officials
said Wednesday. The EPA says firehouses aren't covered because
they aren't residences. (Associated Press, March 13)
- Feds Brush off FDNY Plea
for Toxic Cleanup —
Federal environmental officials are refusing to scrub
potentially toxic dust out of firehouses near Ground Zero - saying
they agreed to clean up only apartments, not workplaces. The
city firefighters union said the Environmental Protection Agency
has repeatedly turned down requests to clean four firehouses
south of Canal St. (Daily News, March 12)
- Health Problems Plague
Ground Zero Workers
— Nearly 18 months after the World Trade Center collapsed
in a rain of dust, Frank Noviello still feels the aftereffects.
The construction foreman toiled for months in a choking haze
of smoldering debris to help clear the wreckage. Today, he worries
about the toll that cleanup has taken on his emotional and physical
health. "Where's that crushed concrete? It's in our lungs
now," says Noviello, 39, of East Islip, N.Y. "Do I
feel depressed? How would you feel if you smelled death for two
weeks? You saw body parts and body bags go by. I'm a Long Island
boy. I've never witnessed anything like that before." (USA Today, March 5)
- Potential Exposures to
Airborne and Settled Surface Dust in Residential Areas of Lower
Manhattan Following the Collapse of the World Trade Center — Following the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which destroyed the
World Trade Center (WTC) in lower Manhattan, the New York City
(NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), with
assistance from the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned
Corps Readiness Force and the WTC Environmental Assessment Working
Group, assessed the composition of outdoor and indoor settled
surface and airborne dust in residential areas around the WTC
and in comparison areas. (Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, February 21)
- Rep. Nadler,
NYCOSH and unions demand EPA cleanup of Lower Manhattan workplaces
— Representative Jerrold
Nadler and the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and
Health (NYCOSH) jointly called on the EPA to put an end to its
hands-off policy concerning the cleanup of contaminated workplaces
in Lower Manhattan at a City Hall press conference on February
10. "This is an outrageous story of EPA inaction, buck-passing,
cover-up and criminal negligence of its role in protecting the
public health," Nadler said. "There is no rational
or legal explanation for the EPA cleaning indoor residential
spaces, but excluding workplaces." EPA "lied about
knowing who is in charge," of cleaning indoor spaces after
the September 11 collapse.
(NYCOSH Update on Safety and Health, February 18)
- Emergency Response: Nadler
Says Workplaces Neglected In World Trade Center Dust Cleanup — Conditions in workplaces and
other indoor spaces near the site of the destruction of the World
Trade Center are still being neglected nearly a year and a half
after the disaster, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Feb. 10.
Renewing previous assertions that the Environmental Protection
Agency had failed to assume its legally required leadership role
in the cleanup, Nadler contended that EPA officials had "lied
about knowing who is in charge" of cleaning up dust contamination
in indoor spaces. At a news conference, he presented evidence
he said showed that agency officials "have finally admitted"
that EPA is legally responsible for the indoor cleanup. (BNA Daily Environment Report,
February 11)
- $90M Victory for Ground
Zero Workers —
Millions of dollars in federal aid to monitor the long-term health
of Ground Zero workers is expected to be approved this week -
after being tied up for months by partisan sparring. Congressional
leaders and the White House inserted the $90 million yesterday
into the 2003 omnibus spending package. (Daily News, February 11)
- NYC Workforce May Face
Serious Health Risk — Representative
Jerrold Nadler exposes bungling of World Trade Center contaminant
clean-up in workspaces, presents new evidence that EPA illegally
delegated authority and then lied about knowledge of the law.
(Press release, February 10)
- World Trade Center (WTC)
October 21-22, 2002 Peer Review Meeting Notes
 (Toxicology Excellence for
Risk Assessment, February 7)
- Study Shows High Number
of Ground Zero Workers Had Health Problems Last Year — Among the first wave of ground
zero workers who came forward for physical examinations at the
Mount Sinai Medical Center last summer, nearly three-fourths
had ear, nose or throat problems more than 10 months after the
World Trade Center attack, doctors said yesterday. More than
half still had lung complaints or abnormal results in pulmonary
function tests. The results — 250 cases randomly selected
from the first 500 examinations conducted under the federally
financed screening program — provided the first statistical
glimpse into what doctors and scientists say has emerged as the
centerpiece of scientific and medical investigation into the
health consequences of the trade center collapse, rescue and
recovery effort and cleanup. (New York Times, January
28)
- Violation Delays WTC Registry:
Contract Award Was Flawed, Agency Says — A long-term health study of 200,000
people who lived or worked near the World Trade Center on Sept.
11 is in limbo. The federal government's General Accounting Office
has determined that the contract process violated federal regulations.
Last week the GAO ordered the federal agency responsible for
designing and overseeing the project to reopen the bidding, a
move expected to lead to delays in learning if New Yorkers experienced
health problems as a result of inhaling debris from the World
Trade Center collapse. (Newsday, January 8)
For links material published
before January 1, 2003, click
here.
Compensation
- Deadlines Draw Near for
Filing Ground Zero-related Compensation Claims — Anyone who sustained an injury
or an illness while working or volunteering in the vicinity of
Ground Zero since September 11, 2001, needs to know that deadlines
to file for compensation are approaching, including, for some
cases, a deadline of September 11, 2003. Workers and volunteers
who have symptoms of illness, such as a persistent cough or extreme
anxiety may also be eligible for compensation. For a new factsheet explaining
September 11 compensation programs and eligibility requirements
in detail, click here.
- 9/11 Victim Compensation
Fund Expands Eligibility Requirements — Many
rescue, recovery and cleanup workers and volunteers who responded
to the World Trade Center before September 16, 2001, are not
aware that they may be eligible for compensation from the federal
Victim Compensation Fund if they were injured while working near
Ground Zero. The Victim Compensation Fund recently amended its
rules to make it possible for some of those workers to receive
compensation even though they had not been eligible under the
previous rules. The Victim Compensation Fund will compensate
eligible workers and volunteers for medical expense, for time
lost as a result of an injury and for pain and suffering. The
deadline for submitting an application to the victim compensation
fund is December 22, 2003. For more information about eligibility
for the Victim Compensation Fund, visit the NYCOSH factsheet:
9/11 Victim Compensation
Fund Expands Eligibility to Include Injured Rescue Workers and
Volunteers.
Also visit the Victim Compensation
Fund website at http://www.usdoj.gov/victimcompensation/
For links material published
before January 1, 2003, click
here.
Government resources
(FOR OFFICIAL INFORMATION ON A SINGLE SUBJECT,
SUCH AS ASBESTOS OR COMPENSATION, SEE THE SUBJECT)
For links material published
before January 1, 2003, click
here.
- Health and Environmental Consequences
of the World Trade Center Disaster (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,
Environmental Health Perspectives, May 2004)
- First Meeting of the WTC Expert Technical
Review Panel, Preliminary Agenda (March
2004)
- Technical Panel Formation and First Panel
Meeting to Continue Evaluation on Issues Relating to Impacts
of the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers — The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is announcing the formation of an expert technical
review panel whose purpose is to provide for greater input on
ongoing efforts to monitor the situation for New York residents
and workers impacted by the collapse of the World Trade Center.
(March 16, 2004)
- World Trade Center Lingering
Airborne Hazards —
National Library of Medicine
- "EPA's Response to the World Trade
Center Collapse: Challenges, Successes, and Areas for Improvement" (August 21, 2003)
- Potential Exposures to
Airborne and Settled Surface Dust in Residential Areas of Lower
Manhattan Following the Collapse of the World Trade Center — Following the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which destroyed the
World Trade Center (WTC) in lower Manhattan, the New York City
(NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), with
assistance from the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned
Corps Readiness Force and the WTC Environmental Assessment Working
Group, assessed the composition of outdoor and indoor settled
surface and airborne dust in residential areas around the WTC
and in comparison areas. (Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, February 21)
News features
- The Public Health Fallout
from September 11: Official Deception and Long-Term Damage — A chapter by Joel Kupferman of
the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project from Lost
Liberties, edited by Cynthia Brown (New Press, 2003)
- NYCOSH Workers Memorial
Day testimony —
As painful as it is to look back to the events of September 11th
it is imperative that we do so that we might be better prepared
for any comparable act of terrorism or natural disaster in the
future. The tragedy provides us with a portal to evaluate how
well our public health regulatory framework worked to protect
workers and members of the public from occupational and environmental
hazards posed by the collapse of the World Trade Center.
- Air of Uncertainty — Coverage of
potential health problems near Ground Zero was slow to develop,
as many news organizations simply accepted the reassurances of
the EPA. The episode underscores the difficulty of covering questions
with no clear answers. (American Journalism
Review, January-February 2003)
For links material published
before January 1, 2003, click
here
Occupational safety and health resources links
Comments
of David M. Newman to EPA World Trade Center Expert Technical
Review Panel re EPA Downtown Sampling Plan, March 1, 2005
The
Anatomy of the Exposures That Occurred around the World Trade
Center Site: 9/11 and Beyond (Annals of the New York Academy
of Sciences, September 2006)
Comments by Dave
Newman Regarding the Proposed Peer Review Process of the WTC
Signature June 7, 2005
Comments
by Dave Newman on EPA's Draft Final Sampling Program to Determine
the Extent of World Trade Center Impacts to the Indoor Envionrment
May 27, 2005
Ground
Zero community urges answer from EPA before election: Cites
anniversary of White House commitment to consider testing
and cleanup of 9/11 contamination - Press release issued by
47 New York City and vicinity community organizations, including
NYCOSH, October 26, 2004
Pollution
and Deception at Ground Zero: How the Bush Administration’s
Reckless Disregard of 9/11 Toxic Hazards Poses Long-Term Threats
for New York City and the Nation, Sierra Club, August
2004
EPA World Trade
Center Technical Expert Review Panel, Powerpoint Presentation
by David M. Newman, Chair of the Subgroup on Other Sources
of WTC Data, May 20, 2004
Risk
Assessment and Public Health Implications of WTC Dust
Contamination of the Deutsche Bank 130 Liberty Street Property,
Deutsche Bank Health Group, May 2004
Comments on the Issue of Microvac Sampling by David M. Newman,
prepared for the EPA World Trade Center Expert Technical Review
Panel, May 3, 2004.
Comments on the Issue of Comprehensive Indoor Sampling
for the Potential Presence Of 9/11-related Contaminants in Lower
Manhattan
by David M. Newman, prepared for the Epa World Trade Center Expert
Technical Review Panel, April 20, 2004
NYCOSH
March 29, 2004, testimony on post-9/11 Lower Manhattan contamination
For links material published
before January 1, 2003, click
here.
Psychological trauma
For links material published
before January 1, 2003, click
here.
9/11 Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Program —
A joint project of the American Red Cross, the September 11th
Fund and the Mental Health Association of New York City
For reference material
on job-related psychological hazards and health, click
here.
Occupational and environmental
safety and health hazards have an effect on everyone, going far
beyond the concerns resulting from the World Trade Center catastrophe
or bioterrorism. For more information on the identification,
control and elimination of workplace and workplace-related hazards,
and to learn more about the struggle to ensure that every workplace
is safe and healthful, please explore the our extensive website
and its 2000 links to other Internet resources on the subject.
To visit our site map, please click
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