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Gov admits 911 air quality statements misleading Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://drkoop.com/template.asp?page=newsdetail&ap=93&id=1502629 http://drkoop.com/template.asp?page=newsdetail&ap=93&id=1502629 Government Admits 9/11 Air Quality Statements Were Misleading A startling admission by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over the weekend concerning the air in Manhattan after the World Trade Center collapse has resulted in calls for investigations into whether the government placed the public in jeopardy. An internal Inspector General's report concludes that, under the direction of the Bush administration, the EPA misled New Yorkers by assuring the public there was no health risk from the air. Subsequent investigations by health officials showed that the air, especially in lower Manhattan where the twin towers fell, was full of tiny particles containing harmful debris that circulated for many days and weeks -- maybe even longer. According to the Associated Press, President Bush's senior environmental adviser on Friday defended the White House involvement, saying it was justified by national security. The White House "convinced EPA to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones" by having the National Security Council control EPA communications in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, according to a report issued late Thursday by EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley, the wire service reports. "When EPA made a Sept. 18 announcement that the air was 'safe' to breathe, the agency did not have sufficient data and analyses to make the statement," the report says. And it wasn't until June 2002 that the EPA finally reported the air had returned to pre-9/11 levels. By that time, hundreds of people were reporting respiratory ailments, the AP says. The New York Times quotes Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) as saying the Justice Department should investigate the agency's response, "in particular the role of the White House in directing the EPA to downplay the hazards of the World Trade Center contaminants." And the Times quotes U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) as saying that the downplaying of the information about contaminants in the air was "an abomination." -- Barry Hoffman and Robert Preidt Copyright © 2003 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved. Last updated 8/24/2003. This article can be accessed directly at: http://drkoop.com/template.asp?page=newsDetail&ap=93&id=1502629

70 percent 911 responders suffer lung ailments 911 pollution could cause more deaths than attack { September 11 2001 } Bloomberg never occur not trust bush { August 24 2003 } Epa watchdog rips whitehouse epa air quality { August 23 2003 } Firefighters on 911 show long term lung damage { September 11 2001 } Gov admits 911 air quality statements misleading Group is sueing epa over world trade center health hazards { March 11 2004 } Illnesses may not appear for decades { September 11 2001 } Suits link ground zero toxins illnesses { May 24 2004 } Whitehouse diluted epa wtc warnings World trade centers collapse small cancer risk { July 27 2004 } Files Listed: 11

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