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What is your opinion of Whitman vs. Giuliani? Who's at fault for Ground Zero Workers Illnesses?
There has been debate between Christie Whitman, former EPA Director and Giuliani's campaign about who is to blame for the chronic lung illnesses among Ground Zero recovery workers.
I believe that EPA caved in to pressure to "assure" downtown residents that air quality was "safe". I do not believe that EPA told the City that Ground Zero air was ok. Given all the fires burning alone, I can't believe that City workers weren't FORCED to wear respirators. Does this show failure of Rudy's leadership?
"EPA told the city's health department that there were concerns about worker safety at the World Trade Center site. In addition to standard construction/demolition site safety concerns, this site also poses threats to workers related to potential exposure to hazardous substances," including building materials, hazardous materials stored in the buildings and combustion products emitted from the smoldering rubble, the (EPA)letter states."
Sure the terrorists are at fault for 9/11, but why did so many additional people have to get very sick and in some cases die after the fact when we have simple technology (respirators) that could've protected them?
Salman Rushdie: I understand that during the rescue effort, personal protection got ignored. But when it was clearly only a recovery operation, which lasted months, there is NO excuse that workers didn't have respiratory protection.
ThomasS: I read that some, but not all of the asbestos had been removed from the WTC from 9/11. But also people's lungs were affected by very finely pulverized glass/concrete from the force of the collapse.
I think that EPA/Whitman caved into pressure to get downtown businesses back and operating. But I also think that the City, which was in charge of the actual Ground Zero site, failed to protect its workers, period. Workers who didn't wear respirators should've been thrown off the site.
11 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
I believe that they are both at fault! Whitman deceived the people, probably on order from Bush or Cheney, about the quality of the air around ground zero. Rudy did not do enough to determine the health risk to those who were working at ground zero. Also, the workers themselves were negligent in that anyone would be foolish to trust the govt's declaring that the air was safe, I wouldn't have worked there without some protection.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Giuliani
he got the convictions of the blind cleric that as due in court
just blocks from the WTC on 9-11
Rudy is a hero..Christie was the EPA boss..
The terrorists caused the worker's illnesses..
I am sure standing by and not trying to save anyone in the rubble..was an option for weasle-like Monday morning QBs
- ThomasSLv 51 decade ago
Terrorists killed the people on the plane, and in the buildings. Asbestos killed the workers, and continues to kill them.
Why were the towers still full of asbestos? Why did the EPA lie about the air quality when 7 of the 10 samples showed hazards?
- Paul KLv 61 decade ago
It is not a matter of "who's fault was it". The workers did what needed to be done, because it was the right thing to do. I think that if this caused injury to these brave people, the City of New York and the US Government are obligated to help them out, however it can, because it it needs to be done and it is the right thing to do, too.
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- Anonymous1 decade ago
It's a toss-up. Rudy was too busy giving sound bites and looking heroic to actually be managing anything in the days after the attack. Considering his lack of action in the years beforehand to adequately equip first responders, it should come as no surprise that he failed to equip them afterwards, either.
Whitman was doing her job, which she interpreted as saying whatever she was told to say regardless of the facts. I've seen several clips of her stating in no uncertain terms that they did tests and the air was fine. Nothing about the air on the pile being unsafe, nothing about anyone needing respirators, just that the air was fine.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
The terrorists are at fault.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
whoever flew the plain i reckon.
