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:: 8.11.2003 ::
Oy. I've been hearing this allegation since 9/11; the rumors appear to have been confirmed: The draft of the inspector general's report also says the agency "did not have sufficient data and analyses" to make a "blanket statement" when it announced seven days after the attack that the air around ground zero was safe to breathe. "Competing considerations, such as national security concerns and the desire to reopen Wall Street, also played a role in E.P.A.'s air quality statements," the report said.
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"As a result of the White House C.E.Q.'s influence, guidance for cleaning indoor spaces and information about the potential health effects from W.T.C. debris were not included in the E.P.A's issued press releases." New York Times story is here, and here's the New York Post. Synopsis thanks to the Daily Grist:White House Pressed EPA to Say Air Was Safe After 9/11
In the days immediately following the 9/11 attacks, the White House pressured the U.S. EPA to issue unsupported statements reassuring the public that air quality around ground zero was safe, according to an investigation by the EPA's inspector general. Also, as a result of "influence" from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the EPA omitted from its press releases information about potential health threats from the World Trade Center debris, the inspector general's draft report found. EPA and White House officials dispute the report's conclusions, saying they are oversimplified. Meanwhile, thousands of 9/11 emergency workers and other New Yorkers continue to seek assistance for a wide range of health problems that cropped up after the terrorist attacks, including respiratory ailments and pneumonia.
:: Deb 6:32 PM :: permalink ::
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