Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Ellen Ratner
Tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. It is a day that all of us will never forget. That day has left many scars, some psychological, some physical, some financial, but this week's Government Accountability Office report indicates that there are still open wounds from that day. The GAO report is titled "World Trade Center: EPA's Most Recent Test and Clean Program Raises Concerns That Need to Be Addressed to Better Prepare for Indoor Contamination Following Disaster."

It was obvious from the start that many offices and residences were contaminated due to the collapse of the World Trade Center. With dust-filled apartments, many residents left the area. Funds were provided for the cleaning and testing of these buildings littered with asbestos, lead, glass fibers and pulverized concrete.

Despite cleaning efforts, approximately 1 percent of the residences were still affected by asbestos. The community raised concerns about how the pre and post testing took place, demanding to know what was tested and where it was tested. The EPA finally responded with a second look/program. However many problems with that testing program are now coming to light. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., pointed out that many of the community's concerns were also raised by the EPA's Ombudsman Robert Martin. Mr. Martin's concerns got someone's attention besides New York City workers and residence, as his office was locked and his files confiscated. The Ombudsman's Office suffered a "reorganization", and no one heard from them on this topic again – death by reorganization.
Then the Scientific Advisory Committee added its voice to the community concerns about the testing, pointing out that it did not even take place for some substances such as Mercury. The committee also revealed that there were no tests in areas that were surely affected such as parts of Brooklyn. Again, no meaningful government action took place. What is worse is that the testing did not include most offices, nor did it test the buildings as a whole, such as testing the HVAC systems. The testing also did not include areas such as under beds or behind refrigerators.

What is of more concern is how the EPA failed to educate the people who were living and working in the shadow of the World Trade Center as to the true nature of the contamination. They released only the test figures on asbestos and other contaminants after they had cleaned a building. Of course, for the contaminants that were never tested, no figures have been released. We have all heard about "sick building syndrome," but the 9/11 contamination brings this syndrome to a whole new level.

Rep. Nadler also pointed out that the EPA cannot say with certainty, "that not even a single building in the area is free of World Trade Center contamination." He argues that many people in New York will "become sick because of lingering environmental toxins in their homes, workplaces and schools."

Sept. 11 took the lives of 2,603 New Yorkers, but many more are still dying as a result of that horrible day. It is estimated that it is going to cost almost $250 million a year, for the next several years, to care for those who have had medical problems due to their participation in the cleanup and other problems related to 9/11. There are currently two bills in Congress – one in the House and one in the Senate that earmark about $50 million towards the cost of medical care for those people. That figure falls far short of the cost.

We are spending billions on the war in Iraq to make sure that the "bad guys" don't come over here while many first responders and people who live and work in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn do not know what is really coming to them through their air conditioning systems. They have no idea what they are breathing, and there is no clear guidance from the federal government as to what contaminants may still be lingering in the area.

This situation is shameful. Americans deserve better from Washington. Sept. 11's legacy of loss lives on as good American citizens continue to die, only this time the loss is perpetrated by our own government, not terrorists.