When I and tens of thousands of other New Yorkers who were working south of Canal Street in Manhattan fled from our offices as buildings were burning and falling just a few blocks away, we all felt lucky to get out alive, writes TAMI same problems and we discussed this on numerous occasions, which led to us calling the days we had noticeable but mild difficulty breathing "bad air days". Smell
We assumed that this was only from the smoke, which gave off the unmistakable smell of burning plastic, flesh and fuel, and not any lingering toxins.
The reason the government didn't tell New Yorkers the truth is simple - capital.
Every day that the stock market did not function was another day that the US fell further behind in its attempt to stay dominant in the world. Every day the New York Stock Exchange sat empty that business was at a standstill.
Regardless of the human cost, the machine of capitalism had to get grinding again. In the process, it may have helped Al-Qaida to kill tens if not hundreds of thousands more that dav and in the weeks following by showing a blatant disregard for the environmental quality that those workers were laborne uncer This truth is far more insidious than ally conspiracy theory.
Of course those working at the former site of the towers breathed this toxic air in most heavily in the aftermath, without proper equipment, or even adequate breaks and a number of these workers have already perished from a variety of respiratory illnesses such as emphysema and black lung disease.
Amongst the workers at the site, there is even something they have termed the "World
Trade Center Cough" whil
he 400,000 New Yorkers living within a mile of the site have continued to report varying respiratory problems. Lawsuits
The EPA is now facing several lawsuits as it has come to light that on September 12, EPA testing showed that the asbestos levels were four times higher than the "danger threshold".
In a pre-trial opinion for one lawsuit which covers those who worked, lived and went to school in Manhattan at that time, Judge Deborah Batts condemned Whitman's statement about air quality as "conscience-shocking".
Lower Manhattan has yet to be properly cleaned. Grey dust flew in the wind off of windows in the tall buildings and the awnings of shops for days and months on end.
Trucks hauling the wreckage of the twin towers made a dust trail down the center of Broadway on their way to the Staten Island landfill. Doubtless there is still dust covering the remotest corners of lower Manhattan.
New York City itself set up the Trade Center Health Registry to send out updates and keep track of those who were south of Canal Street that day as well as to offer free counseling to those who had seen such horrific scenes as people jumping out of the buildings.
However there is yet to be a proper medical monitoring program set up by either the city, state or the federal government which could monitor patterns in health problems for those who breathed in the dust.
While Bush and his administration were using the tragedy in New York to whip people up into supporting one war after another, they were simultaneously allowing tens and possibly hundreds of thousands of their own citizens to be exposed to a toxic mixture day after day.
Capital was kept flowing on the bodies of the dead and now possibly those that were exposed in the aftermath are unknowingly to be added to this total.