Ground Zero Memorial: Toxic Gases
Ten years after the collapse of the World Trade Center, the full impact of the toxic clouds of burned debris is rearing its ugly head.
At the time, first responders, rescue/recovery/clean-up workers, and local residents entered the dust laden atmosphere in the aftermath of the disaster without regard for their safety and/or guidance from health and safety professionals. No air sampling was performed immediately after the devastation, and limited air sampling was performed on-site by New York state and U.S. Federal agencies. Private health professionals also performed air sampling in areas on the periphery of Ground Zero. Now, ten years later, respiratory illnesses and cancer is on the rise. The conundrum, the illusive truth of toxins is that their impact is frequently delayed. Many toxic exposures involve no immediate warnings. The health effects, particularly that of cancer and lung disease, may be delayed for years.
State and Federal agencies, when they finally began taking air samples, were focused primarily on the obvious—asbestos. At the time of the Fall of the Twin Towers, air monitoring and surface sampling was secondary. is indicated in all situations involving high temperature burning of buildings, building components and furnishings. Some of the more predictable building components that could release toxic substances are fluorescent light bulbs (mercury), thermal/acoustical sprayed on insulation (asbestos and fiberglass), concrete (silica), light ballasts (PCB burn by-products: dioxins and furans), plastic upholstery (vinyl chloride and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), foam cushions (hydrogen cyanide and dioxins), paint (lead, mercury, and cadmium), stainless steel (chromium), and pesticides. Reports estimated that there had been in the Twin Towers:
- Greater than 400 tons of asbestos sprayed-on insulation
- More than 10,000 personal computers with over four pounds of lead each
- More than 500,000 fluorescent light bulbs which may contain 1.5 to 35 milligrams of mercury in each light bulb, depending on the size of the bulb (neon lights contain as much as 100 milligrams of mercury)
Beyond those toxins mentioned above, the medley of building components are endless and the incineration by-products will, not might, result in unpredictable unknowns. Although it is not clear as to the full extent of the sampling performed, it appears that the sampling was very limited.
Based on lung tissue samples taken in 2010, four of seven previously healthy World Trade Center responders who had developed lung disease were found to have carbon nanotubes in their lung. Bulk samples taken from Ground Zero in September 2001 indicated the presence of carbon nanotubes which could cause lung cancer much like asbestos. Some suggest that high temperatures in the presence of carbon and metals could result in the creation of such fibers. Carbon nanotubes were unpredictable.
Ten years later, there are multiple cases of cancer and respiratory illnesses associated with the first responders, rescue/recovery/clean-up workers, and local residents. Law suites are on the rise, and speculation abounds.
Properly planned and executed air monitoring and surface sampling would have provided data that could have provided information to aid in determining the proper personal protection for those exposed and provide historic exposure data that could be taken to the bank. In this litigious world, speculation is a poor substitute for proper planning and response actions and for proper air sampling. The devil is in the details!
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