Ex-EPA head responds to criticism that the EPA mishandled information about asbestos and other toxins at Ground Zero
Christie Todd Whitman, former chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), testified in response to critics’ statements that the EPA misled the public about the levels of asbestos and other toxic substances at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Asbestos can cause mesothelioma and other diseases. Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York released a study in 2006 reporting that 70 percent of rescue workers at Ground Zero suffer respiratory ailments.
In a hearing before the U.S. House Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee, Whitman defended statements and press releases issued days after the attacks stating that asbestos levels are “unlikely to cause significant health effects” and “cause us no concern.” She also defended her decision not to fight the White House for removing a recommendation from an EPA press release that professionals be hired to clean buildings in the area before they were re-occupied.
Members of the committee grilled Whitman on the EPA’s handling of asbestos communications during 9/11 and also criticized the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for not requiring cleanup workers to wear respirators. By contrast, none of the cleanup workers at the Pentagon crash site–all of whom were required to wear protective gear–have become sick.
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