A paper which looks at how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is combating problems which arose from the September 11 terror attacks.
The paper shows that immediately after the September 11 terror attacks the initial solution to potential exposure of toxic pollutants left the EPA with a significant list of issues to be addressed, not the least of which was providing an open line of communication to those who were most at risk at ground zero. Within the first several days of the rescue mission, the EPA and other agencies worked hard to obtain and distribute respiratory and eye protection equipment; provide health and safety training upon request; design and implement a site monitoring plan and addressed many more issues. he paper examines how, one year after the attacks, the EPA is still monitoring for water and air contamination and testing for high toxic levels.
“The extent to which the terrorist attack upon the World Trade Center has impacted both the nation and the cradle of humanity as a whole is undeniably far-reaching. However, people are not the only entities to suffer from this display of social intolerance, inasmuch as the explosion aftermath has created great concern for environmental safety with regard to asbestos, airborne particles, burning plastic and concrete dust, with the latter issue presenting a potentially significant threat to wildlife with regard to runoff into local waterways.”