Ed Begley: If you are among those to whom it seems impossible that the authorities would actually allow 9/11 to happen for political gain, at such an enormous cost to human life, consider what the authorities knowingly allowed to happen to the residents of this city immediately after September 11th. Let me please introduce Jenna Orkin of the World Trade Center Environmental Organization. Jenna.

Jenna Orkin, WTC Environmental Organization

September 11 was a tragedy that has changed the course of history and the way we live. It was also an environmental disaster of historic proportions. The World Trade Center contained about 50,000 computers each made with between 4 and 12 pounds of lead. That's not including World Trade Center 7.

50,000 Computers Each with 4-12 lbs Lead Equals 400,000 lbs of Lead

200,000 lbs of Asbestos

Hundreds of tons of asbestos coated the first 40 stories of at least one tower. The tens of thousands of fluorescent light bulbs each contained enough mercury to contaminate a quarter of a [thousand] city blocks.

Over 10,000 Fluorescents Enough to Contaminate 2,500 City Blocks

The smoke detectors contained radioactive americium 241. The alkalinity of the air was equivalent to that of Drano. A month after the disasters, scientists from the University of California at Davis found levels of vanadium and very and ultra-fine particles that were the highest they'd ever seen of 7,000 samples taken from around the world, including at the burning Kuwaiti oil fields. Dr. Marjorie Clark has testified that 9/11 was equivalent to the burning Kuwait oil fields. Dr. Marjorie Clark has testified that 9/11 was equivalent to dozens of asbestos factories, incinerators and crematoria, as well as a volcano.

Yet starting on September 13th, the EPA maintained that "The Air is Safe to Breathe." A report by the EPA Inspector General in August of 2003 revealed that EPA's press releases which initially warned the public about asbestos in the air were edited to offer reassurances instead. The editing was performed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality in order to re-open Wall Street. That's in the report. As a result of the false good news, rescue workers were sometimes not allowed to wear respirators on the grounds that they might frighten the public. Insurance companies often refused to pay for cleanup, forcing residents to clean the tons of toxic debris in their apartments as per the instructions from the New York City Department of Health. "Use a wet mop or wet rag, and where the dust is really bad, wear long pants."

We are beginning to see the consequences of this disastrous chain of events. Over half of the heroes who cleaned Ground Zero are already manifesting serious respiratory problems. Hundreds of firefighters can no longer work. And as a harbinger for what's in store for people, 14 rescue dogs have died.

The Commission Report deals with this issue in a footnote on page 555. They interviewed Sam Thernstrom, the White House coordinator who changed the press releases. He said his motive wasn't to re-open Wall Street, it was procedural. His story is corroborated by Christie Todd Whitman, who told the initial lies. When John Gotti is corroborated by Lucky Luciano, that may be good enough for the Commission, but we should not rest there.

In the environmental disaster of 9/11, Osama Bin Ladin could not have found a better collaborator, a more kindred spirit, than George W. Bush.

I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington, D.C. that their air is safe to breath and their water is safe to drink." -- EPA Administrator Christie Whitman

"We can reassure the public that the air is safe to breathe, the water is safe to drink." -- EPA Administrator Christie Whitman

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