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Independent asbestos experts have stated that the September 11 th catastrophe in New York three years ago could cost more lives even in several decades. The destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center following a terrorist attack in 2001 cost thousands of lives.
However, it is thought that many people who live and work in the Lower Manhattan area of New York could still be at risk of developing asbestos related cancer, such as mesothelioma, due to improper decontamination.
Government officials have strongly denied that there are no additional risks posed by asbestos contamination around the Ground Zero area of New York. However, experts believe that the asbestos that was contained within the walls and floors of the collapsed buildings could have caused contamination that could result in one in ten additional cancer deaths.
The Environmental Protection Agency stated that the air was safe just one week after the attacks on the World Trade Center towers. However, the twin towers were constructed during a time when asbestos was widely used and therefore asbestos products were present throughout the towers. The collapse of the buildings and subsequent disturbance of asbestos fibres is what experts think could result in the increased death rate.
The Executive Director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, Joel Shufro, stated that the reason for this hasty ‘all clear’ from the Environmental Protection Agency was to ensure that the city’s financial and business trade didn’t suffer more that it already had.
State officials have admitted that increased levels of illness followed the attacks; however they stated that this was more likely due to debris and dust and was not due to asbestos exposure.
