Safety after attacks was disregarded

To the editor:

On the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., we rightly remembered those who lost their lives and honored those who gave selflessly in the days and weeks following the attacks.

We should also remember that the EPA found the air in the area of ground zero to have levels of asbestos many times higher than safe levels and prepared a statement to that effect along with a warning to "sensitive populations" (children and the elderly). Rather than allowing the statement to be released, the Bush administration killed it and had the National Security Council issue a statement that it was safe for people to go back to work, apparently feeling that the need to return to normalcy outweighed the health risks to those working in the area. As a result, the lives of many of those we honor on Patriot Day were put needlessly at risk. Mount Sinai Hospital later reported that 78 percent of ground zero workers suffered from respiratory ailments. And when New York City firefighters wanted their stations to be tested for toxic contaminants, their request was refused.

This is just one example of the Bush administration's callous disregard for public health and willingness to conceal the truth. But on this anniversary it is a most poignant one.

ROBERT ZELLER, Cape Girardeau