Health Risk from Smoke at WTC ‘Very Small’

The smoke and dust that has blanketed Manhattan as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center poses a "very small, and steadily diminishing" health risk to the public, the New York Times reports (Revkin, New York Times, 9/14). The health concern is over asbestos used as fire-proofing material in the World Trade Center that could have "crumbled" as the buildings collapsed, "becoming airborne and possibly inhaled" (Armour, USA Today, 9/14). Early reports from the CDC and EPA placed levels of asbestos at "four times the safe level," with the greatest risk affecting those unprotected "near ground zero" (Boston Globe/Arizona Daily Star, 9/14). Bonnie Bellow, an EPA spokesperson, said that by Wednesday, however, levels of airborne asbestos had "dropped below the threshold of any concern" (New York Times, 9/14). In addition, experts said asbestos-related disease is most often "brought on by repeated exposure, rather than a single dose" (Cooper, Bergen Record/St. Louis Dispatch, 9/13). The Wall Street Journal reports that engineers familiar with the World Trade Center said "most of the hazardous material was [already] removed." Doctors warn that people with existing respiratory and heart conditions, such as asthma and heart disease, should "limit their exposure to the smoky air" (Winslow/McGinley, Wall Street Journal, 9/14). Rescue workers on the site have been using masks and respirators to protect themselves from possible contamination. In addition, the New York Times reports that health officials have a "stockpile" of 10,000 paper-filter masks, 5,000 "more-sophisticated" masks, and 2,000 pairs of goggles (New York Times, 9/14). EPA Administrator Christine Whitman said the agency will "continue to monitor the air until the crisis subside[s]" (Boston Globe/Arizona Daily Star, 9/14).