Law Department notice on WTC document preservation, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Chapter 2 EPA Statements About Air Quality ^^NotAdequatelyQualified^^ EPA’s early statements reassured the public regarding the safety of the air outside the Ground Zero perimeter area. However, when EPA made a September 18 announcement that the air was “safe” to breathe, the Agency did not have sufficient data and analyses to make the statement. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) influenced, through the collaboration process, the information that EPA communicated to the public through its early press releases when it convinced EPA to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones. Conclusions from an EPA draft risk evaluation completed over a year after the attacks have tended to support EPA’s statements about long-term health effects when all necessary qualifications are considered. However, EPA’s statements about air quality did not contain these qualifications. (Details on indoor air are in Chapter 3.)

Communicating Information to the Public Critical Communicating the potential health risks resulting from an environmental hazard is a key mechanism for warning the public to mitigate potential exposures and take other precautions to avoid unnecessary health risks. However, an emergency situation often presents significant challenges.

EPA has many years of experience in communicating environmental risks to the public, especially through its Superfund program. The Agency has issued numerous guidance documents on how to effectively communicate risks to the public, including EPA’s “Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication” (see box). EPA and the New York City Department of Health were significantly involved in communicating Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication information on the air quality in Lower 1. Accept and involve the public as a legitimate partner. Manhattan after the 2. Plan carefully and evaluate your efforts. WTC disaster. 3. Listen to the public’s specific concerns. 4. Be honest, frank, and open. 5. Coordinate a nd col laborate with other credible sources, i 6 Meet the needs of ths media. 7. Speak clearly and with compassion.

7 Report No. 2003-P-O0012

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