9/11 health risks

last updated 8 January 2015

Washington, D.C.

Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman this week strongly denied minimizing the health risks to New Yorkers exposed to dust and debris when the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11. At a congressional hearing, Whitman testified that she was addressing the residents of lower Manhattan, not ground zero workers, when she said a week after the attack that the air was safe. Her statements were based on expert advice, she testified, and were not influenced by the White House. Congressional Democrats say they believe the Bush administration intentionally understated the dangers of breathing the debris. A study last year estimated that 7,000 people who worked at ground zero suffered from chronic respiratory problems.