EPA, White House deceived public about Ground Zero air

[Guest guest]

Officials accused of 9/11 lies

EPA, White House deceived public about Ground Zero air quality, says

ex-investigator of Sept. 11 response

BY JENNIFER MALONEY

Newsday Staff Writer

September 18, 2006

Hugh Kaufman, a former chief investigator for the EPA's inquiry into the

response to Sept. 11, criticized government officials yesterday, accusing them

of lying to the public about New York's air quality after the terrorist

attacks.

" Until we fix the broken government, none of us is safe, " he said at the

Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington at the screening of a documentary about Sept.

11-related illnesses.

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According to an internal EPA report released in 2003, the Environmental

Protection Agency was directed by the White House in the days after Sept. 11 to

amend its news releases by adding reassuring statements and removing

cautionary ones. Tests later revealed that dust from Ground Zero had high

levels of

fiberglass and pulverized asbestos.

Kaufman said the new document shows that former EPA administrator

Todd Whitman - in addition to the White House - was responsible for

manipulating information and deceiving the public.

Before the screening, Kaufman released an EPA document showing that both the

White House and Whitman, urged an EPA spokeswoman to " reassure the public "

in the aftermath of the attacks.

The document summarizes an August 2002 conference in which public affairs

officials were interviewed about their department's response to Sept. 11. It

quotes Tina Kreisher, a former associate administrator for the Office of

Communications, Education and Media Relations.

The document says: " When asked whether there was a conscious effort to

reassure the public, Ms. Kreisher said there was such an effort. This emphasis

'came from the Administrator and the White House.' "

Kaufman also released a February 2001 memo in which Whitman recused herself

from dealing with matters affecting her investments, including Port Authority

bonds. The Port Authority owns the World Trade Center site.

" She should not have worked on the case, " Kaufman said. " It was a conflict

of interest. "

Other speakers at the event - which featured the documentary " The Toxic

Clouds of 9/11, " produced and directed by Alison - included first

responders who worked on the pile and have since become ill.

Paramedic Marvin Bethea was buried twice in debris on Sept. 11 while

escorting people to safety. Five weeks later, he suffered a stroke attributed

to

Sept. 11 stress and later was diagnosed with adult-onset asthma, post-traumatic

stress disorder and chronic rhinitis. He was not awarded workers compensation

until this year.

" We've got to make sure 9/11 does not become an afterthought, " he said.