Archive of News
9/11 Shrine, With the Tragic, Toxic Dust
It is always dangerous to disturb toxic dust, but this dust is historic, and possibly sacred. This week, a crew in hazard suits navigated a sealed bubble at the New-York Historical Society to recreate an eerie time capsule of Sept. 11, 2001, as the fifth anniversary approaches.
E.P.A. Whistle-Blower Says U.S. Hid 9/11 Dust Danger
A senior scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency has accused the agency of relying on misleading data about the health hazards of World Trade Center dust.
Protesters Urge Better Care for Those Exposed to 9/11 Dust
More than 200 people — first responders, union members and politicians — rallied at ground zero yesterday to protest the government’s response to the health effects of 9/11 and to demand comprehensive care for those possibly sickened by the World Trade Center wreckage.
Poisoned Heroes
ONE New York City firefighter recently told me about the health problems he has suffered since working at the World Trade Center site nearly five years ago: skin rashes, an inflamed colon, coughing and trouble breathing. He showed me a six-page list of the antibiotics and steroids doctors had prescribed over the years.
Gov gets WTC ball rolling
Watching Gov. Pataki at Ground Zero yesterday, there was a sense that someone in government was starting to address the needs of the forgotten victims of 9/11 – however incompletely, however late.
Pataki Signs Law Increasing Death Benefits for Ground Zero Workers
Gov. George E. Pataki signed a law Monday ordering New York City to pay more generous death benefits to relatives of city workers who took part in the rescue and cleanup efforts at the World Trade Center site and who later die from certain cancers or respiratory illnesses.
Please help me go on living
A man’s life is at stake. His name is Vito Valenti. On Sept. 11 he was caught in the maelstrom and stayed at Ground Zero as a volunteer to help in the frantic rescue and recovery operation. And today he is dying.
Save lives with $150 lung exam
WHAT HAPPENED to Mark DeBlase — the sudden emergence of a rapidly fatal lung disease — is the nightmare that shadows the forgotten victims of 9/11.
I never complained, or sued, nor will I, but in case I die…
They were among the 40,000 who stepped forward for New York and America after 9/11, and they speak here of the price they paid for serving. Their stories are not unusual. No, they are typical among the more than 12,000 men and women who were sickened by breathing the toxic cloud that shrouded Ground Zero.
The making of a health disaster
FOR CHRISTOPHER HYNES, life as a forgotten victim of 9/11 is a battle for breath. Five years ago, Hynes was a 30-year-old, healthy, nonsmoking New York City police officer. Then, in September and October 2001, he was assigned to Ground Zero duty, spending more than 100 hours patrolling the perimeter of the smoldering rubble of the twin towers. The air was thick with dust and smoky particles.