EPA memorandum on WTC environmental data concealment, July 2004

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

See Section N of my 7/4/03 report'^ for documentation of how these levels triggered an evacuation and professional cleaning of the EPA building the week after 9/11, while at the same time EPA was telling the press that there were no problems at the EPA building, EPA's response at its own building establishes that it found these levels to be significant indicators of contamination by WTC dust.

Original NYC data is what NYC and EPA believed to represent hazard after 9/11 - irrelevant of whether alterations and deletions were clerical or "more careful examination of data"

The alterations and deletions were not typographic errors, because they were one-sided, always showing lower or no asbestos levels, never the other way around.

NYC might offer the excuse that the altered/deleted data eventually posted on its web site represented more careful scrutiny of the laboratory results. Even EPA has conveniently "re­ worked" the asbestos data to now show lower asbestos levels.

This argument, however, cannot hold sway. After 9/11, before any alterations of the data, NYC believed people were being exposed to the higher levels contained in the original version of the data, not the altered version released in early 2002. NYC did not warn anyone. Instead, they concealed the information.

EPA concealment of NYC data EPA "no asbestos hazard" claim in press releases of 9/13/Oland 9/14/01

The following statements by EPA on 9/13/01 and 9/14/01 claim either no asbestos found or below levels of concern, the exact opposite of what the NYC data demonstrated:

Monitoring and sampling conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday have been very reassuring about potential exposure of rescue crews and the public to environmental contaminants. EPA's primary concern is to ensure that rescue workers and the public are not exposed to elevated levels of asbestos, acidic gases or other contaminants from the debris. Sampling of ambient air quality found either no asbestos or very low levels of asbestos. ... Additional sampling of both ambient air quality and dust particles was conducted Wednesday night in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, and results were uniformly acceptable. "EPA is greatly relieved to have learned that there appears to be no significant levels of asbestos dust in the air in New York City," said Administrator Whitman. [EPA press release, 9/13/01, emphasis added]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Labor's Occupational Health and Safety Administration today announced that the majority of air and dust samples monitored at the crash site and in Lower Manhattan do not indicate levels of concern for asbestos. ... New OSHA data also indicates that indoor air quality in downtown buildings will meet standards. ... "Our tests show that it is safe for New Yorkers to go back to work in New York's financial district," said John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA. ... [EPA press release, 9/14/01, emphasis added]

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