WTC document preservation notice, NYC Law Department

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document Danger Found in Trade Center Air http://wwwJatiines.coin/news/nationwOTldZna...toiy?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation%2Dmanual

independent, university-based researchers. The findings quickly exacerbated an already irate debate. iliiiiilli K government's response to the environmental intact of 9/11," said Rep, Jerrold Nadler (D-N. Y.), whose district covers much of the affected area. "The EPA has created a full-scale crisis of public confidence," Nadler said at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing called to examine the government's response to New York's pollution exposure. EPA spokeswoman Bonnie Bellow declined to commoit on the findings, lllli saying agency officials had not been able to read and review the research. "We recognize people have concerns, and we are concerned about people's safety," Bellow said. Cahill, however, said the EPA failed to identify more air pollutants over a wider area because the techniques and equipment it used do not capture the tiniest particles, which the agency's own scientists have acknowledged are Ure most hazardous. "The EPA could have identified these particles within a couple of days if they looked for them, but they didn't," Cahill said. The researchers from California, who have extensive experioice analyzing airborne pollutants, collected air samples in Manhattan at the request of the Energy Department from Oct 2 to mid-December. Rainstorms washed out most of tile large particles, they found. But large masses of tiny specks remained airborne until the fires were extinguished in late October. Scientists collected particles continuously for three months and used seven tests to sort them based on color, size and chemical composition. They scanned particles with lasers and electron microscopes at Davis and the national laboratories to determine their chemical compositions. The results showed that the level of particles in New York's air outdid even the worst pollution from the Kuwait oil field fires. ■ J The main problem was tiny particles, which can penetrate deep into the concentrations were 50 times greater than those found in California's San Joaquin Valley, one of the smoggiest places in the nation, Cahill and his ill associates reported. Harmful Particles Slip Indoors H While the widespread pollution from the fires has aided, scientists who conducted the research say danger has in many cases moved indoors. The particles, many of than more than 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, easily slip past windows and doors and collect

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