Remember when the federal judge described (former) Bush EPA Whitman's grossly inaccurate, premature "all-clear at ground zero" announcement to have been "conscience-shocking," adding that, "No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to Lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws"?
It's no surprise, then, that we're now just beginning to see just high the delayed costs will be, and that the title I've chosen may be sadly close to the truth...
Today's New York Daily News (www.nydailynews.com)carries a story by Rich Shapiro entitled, "WTC air doomed ex-cop." I recommend the story to you. The point is this: An autopsy confirms that NYPD detective James Zadroga's premature retirement and early death were caused by the toxic environment he worked in at WTC. His fathre regrets that "No one would step forward and help him" to adequately deal with his work-related illnesses. And, to make things worse, "[b]ecause Zadroga's death was not classified as happening "in the line of duty," his family will receive three-quarters of his disability pension for eight years instead of the full pension for up to 19 years.
Right now, the stories I've just mentioned/quoted seem to speak volumes on their own. So I've nothing to add, but I believe it's worth remembering these things, and the sacrifices of people like Det. Zadroga.