October 18th, 2004

President George W Bush and the Bush Administration were slammed earlier this year by the Sierra Club, accused of "reckless disregard" in the lack of warning given to New York residents following the collapse of the World Trade Center and the possible asbestos contamination that resulted from it. The Sierra Club stated: "The desire to reopen Wall Street cannot justify placing civilian safety at risk."

The Sierra Club went on to state that: “There appeared to be a significant increase in new-onset asthma in Chinatown” following the attack. However, studies showed that the increase was only in the number of visits made to asthma clinics and the number of prescriptions written rather than in an increase in the number of people being newly diagnosed with asthma.

It is thought that this increase in clinic visits and prescription issues was probably due to the concern of local residents, and as a precaution by medical staff and doctors in the city.

The Sierra Club also stated: "Many of the effects of human exposure to the World Trade Center pollution will not manifest for many years. Lung cancer may not be detected for a period of 10 to 30 years after first exposure, and the latency period for mesothelioma – an asbestos-caused cancer – ranges from 20 to 50 years."