Choking On The Truth

With another 9/11 anniversary nearly upon us, we have this story of medical problems (sinus, lung, general breathing difficulties) among first responders at the World Trade Center site that approximate epidemic proportions at this point.

This article from 2003 gives some more background on the nature of the problem and names those chiefly responsible.

A week after the attack, the EPA announced that the air near ground zero was safe to breathe, but the agency did not have enough information to make such a guarantee, the inspector general's report said.

"Christie Whitman was too premature to say it was safe," Cahill said Tuesday. "I think the EPA should have known. The EPA had its own reports saying it could be dangerous. Why didn't the EPA bring in their own people from all over the country? They could have. Never thought of it. They did later. But not in the time that mattered."

The White House "convinced EPA to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones" by having the National Security Council control EPA communications, the inspector general's report found.

And I know Hillary Clinton tried to hold Bush’s feet to the fire on this by delaying the nomination of Mike (“Run For Your Lives! The Bird Flu Is Coming”) Leavitt to replace Whitman as head of EPA, though Leavitt eventually got the nod as head of HHS.

Update 9/15: Here's how the Repugs thwarted another effort by Hillary Clinton to look after her constituents on this.