- LOS ANGELES (AP) - Unprecedented levels of pollutants were
kicked up over New York City following the Sept. 11 attacks, higher even
than levels found in Kuwait after its oil wells were torched during the
Gulf War, a new study finds.
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- University scientists reported that air
samples taken in the weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center
contained elevated levels of sulfur, silicon, titanium, vanadium, and nickel.
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- "No one has ever reported a situation
like the one we see in the World Trade Center samples," said Thomas
Cahill, a researcher at the University of California at Davis.
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- University researchers took samples of
dozens of substances at a site about a mile from ground zero between Oct.
2 and Dec. 25 in what they said was the most thorough analysis of dust
and smoke in the wake of the attack. On Monday, they presented results
culled from data collected through Oct. 31.
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- "What we found was startling,"
Cahill said in a telephone interview. "A large mass of very fine particles
results in an extraordinary number of particles that penetrate deep in
the lungs." The very fine particles, smaller than .001 inches in diameter,
can contribute to serious health problems, including emphysema.
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- Coarser particles, which are normally
settled by rain, persisted throughout October, suggesting that fires in
the rubble continued to generate noxious dust and gases for weeks.
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- Since then, many rescue workers and New
Yorkers have complained of what's being called "World Trade Center
cough" as well as asthma and diminished lung capacity. The researchers
stress their results should be considered in evaluating those health problems.
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- Lead, most likely from the thousands
of computers in the twin towers, and mercury from the buildings' wiring,
also were detected, but in lower concentrations. Very little asbestos,
a major health hazard, was found. "There is some good news,"
Cahill said.
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- Outdoor pollution may have diminished
since Sept. 11, but indoor levels may persist, Cahill said. Researchers
recommend indoor spaces be carefully cleaned, avoiding the use of vacuum
cleaners, which can stir up dust after it has settled.
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- A week after the attack, Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman reassured residents the
"air is safe to breathe." At a state Senate subcommittee hearing
Monday in New York, legislators alleged that Whitman misled the public
about the risks of breathing the contaminated air.
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- Some of the research by the California
research group has been made public. Scientists, however, were not invited
to testify before the subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, and Climate
Change.
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- Some 1,300 people gave notice this month
that they may sue the city for a total of $7.18 billion, claiming injuries
or damage caused by the alleged negligence of the city during the recovery
and cleanup.
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