:: rawblogXport ::

:: Thursday, April 08, 2004 ::

Impact of Ground Zero still powerful By TONI De IULIIS
Askew said workers at the site would toil tirelessly; crane workers would work shifts as long as 17 hours at a stretch. If the worker's replacement didn't show up, that worker would take on the next shift until relief came. Respite stations set up just outside the perimeter of the site gave workers a place to sleep, eat and pick up supplies. While the effort to clear the site was successful in the end, it came at a cost. The air around Ground Zero and the island where the remains of the attack's victims were taken was badly polluted. Askew explained that at one point, a block away from Ground Zero's boundaries, the asbestos level in the air was measured at over 550 times the acceptable limit.

As a result of the time spent breathing such contaminated air, Askew said, respiratory problems have taken a toll on many of the workers. In addition to the firefighters killed in the aftermath of the attack, he said, fully one quarter of New York City's firefighters have had to retire on disability due to respiratory ailments.

posted 6:54 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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