NYPD attempts to outlaw personal monitors

“When air monitors have been outlawed, only outlaws will have air monitors!”

The slogan, which has become the unofficial rallying cry of an ad hoc coalition of labor unions, environmental groups, elected officials and community activists, was environmental activist Bob Gulack’s reaction when he heard a report about the New York City Police Department’s plan to require a permit for any independent environmental sampling used in the city.

A long list of organizations and individual activists all oppose the proposed law, known as Intro 650, which was unveiled by NYPD brass at the City Council’s Public Safety Committee Jan. 8 meeting.

The proposed legislation would make it a misdemeanor for anyone in New York City to own, or use, any device that measures chemical, biological or radiological contamination. Banned devices could include smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors, Geiger counters, and any device that collects and analyzes air or water samples, for contamination without first obtaining a permit from NYPD.

It was the independently collected air samples in Lower Manhattan after 9/11 that debunked the claim by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the air was safe to breathe.

Among those opposed to Intro 650 is U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose congressional district includes the site of the World Trade Center. Testifying to the City Council, Nadler called the bill “a great potential to threaten the important contributions made by academic research institutions, unions, and environmental and community-based organizations that conduct independent chemical, biological and radiological environmental sampling.” Nadler is a leading proponent of federal legislation to provide healthcare to people now sick due to exposure of 9/11-related contamination.

The overriding question is why would NYPD want to control the use of air monitors and other environmental sampling equipment?

“Our mutual goal is to prevent false alarms and unnecessary public concern by making sure that we know where these detectors are located and that they conform to standards of quality and reliability,” said Richard Falkenrath, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Counter-Terrorism in his testimony for the bill.

The bill’s opponents call this justification for the bill a smokescreen. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer noted that he had never heard of a false alarm caused by private environmental monitoring. “This is a fake emergency that doesn’t exist,” he said. “If it’s not a problem, let’s not try to create one.”

“As introduced, Intro 650 has the potential to adversely impact, delay or even prevent unions, environmental activists and others from doing the kind of work that is now done under the protection of laws such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the National Labor Relations Act,” said Dave Newman, an industrial hygienist with the non-profit New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. Also according to the police department’s testimony, the driving force behind the bill is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The police testified that the federal government asked NYPD to lobby for the bill, with the intention of using the proposed New York City law as a model to be adopted by other cities and states. In response to the strong opposition, the city prepared a revised version of the bill, which was made public Jan. 25. The revised bill exempts any detector that, “presents no significant possibility of triggering an alert of a possible biological, chemical or radiological weapons attack” from its requirements.

Despite the exemption for smoke detectors, opposition to the bill remains solid because it would require permits for almost all sampling equipment used by environmental and labor organizations to test for environmental degradation or dangerous working environments.

The bill has no provision for an appeal if the NYPD refuses to issue a permit, except to allow the applicant to submit an amended application.

Source: NYPD-terror-bill

Health News: A Dormant Danger in the Dust

As time elapses, the fateful and devastating effects of the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001 continue to unfold. Countless hopes and dreams went down with the collapsing World Trade Center towers­—an intangible loss that can never be calculated or aptly assessed. However, a looming concern regarding the health effects of the aftermath continues to rise.

When the World Trade Center (WTC) towers crumbled, a dust cloud containing more than 2,500 contaminants spread across the city—reaching as far as New Jersey. The toxic dust was composed of harmful elements such as construction debris, glass and other fibers, and poisonous compounds such as lead, mercury, and asbestos. Those living and working near the WTC and those who assisted in cleanup were gravely affected by this contaminated dust. Many of those exposed to the dust have experienced disquieting health issues, ranging from problems with breathing to various forms of cancer, the most common being lung cancer.

On January 6, 2008, the New York Post released the preliminary results of a study by the New York State Department of Health, which reported at least 204 rescue and recovery workers and volunteers have died since 9/11, falling victim to a range of cancers and other disorders. The lead researcher informed The Post that a total of 98 fatalities have been confirmed with death certificates. The research shows that 77 persons died of illnesses, including 55 deaths caused by lung and other cancers.

Lung cancer and various respiratory ailments seem to be the most common health issues facing those affected by the WTC attacks. In early April 2006, the Centers for Disease Control reported an alarming 62 percent of individuals caught in the toxic dust cloud are suffering with respiratory problems. Additionally, 46 percent of those living or working near the WTC that avoided the dust cloud have reported consistent respiratory problems.

An honorary keepsake saved by a WTC volunteer has illuminated a possible leading cause to the disconcerting lung ailments. Community liaison Yehuda Kaploun, who spent 48 hours volunteering immediately after the attacks at Ground Zero, saved the dress shirt he wore in a plastic bag to honor those lost on 9/11. Kaploun submitted the shirt to authorities in April 2006 with hopes that results of contamination would help volunteers get medical support for the diseases they are likely to develop or may have already developed.

Test results revealed the shirt contains a highly toxic level of chrysotile asbestos, otherwise known as white asbestos. The contamination was 93,000 times higher than the average amount found in U.S. cities, and also higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s reports of the most contaminated building after 9/11.

Kaploun’s shirt was also contaminated with mercury, barium, zinc, chromium, antimony, cobalt, copper, lead, and molybdenum. Heavy metals like these burned in the fires that lasted for nearly four months after the attacks.

With these disturbing levels of asbestos and other contaminants, it’s no wonder so many individuals associated with the aftermath are suffering with respiratory problems and lung cancer. How could such high levels of asbestos be recorded when the EPA banned and ordered a phase out of asbestos in 1989?

Completed in 1977, the WTC was originally designed to utilize 5,000 tons of asbestos-containing fireproofing on the first 40 floors of the buildings. Anticipating a ban on the use of asbestos in construction in New York, the builders stopped using the material after reaching the 40th floor on the north tower. A spokesperson from the New York Port Authority stated more than half of the asbestos-containing fireproofing was replaced at a later date.

Despite these measures, an estimated 2,000 tons of asbestos was released into the air in the form of fine dust. Microscopic asbestos compounds are easily inhaled, and due to its atomic structure, readily adheres to any substance and is indestructible by the human body. Once absorbed, asbestos sticks to the inner lining of the lungs, heart and stomach, and cannot be broken down or expelled by the body. Asbestos exposure could potentially lead to a variety of destructive and deadly illnesses, such as asbestosis and lung cancer. Exposure to asbestos over time can also lead to a very rare form of cancer, known as mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that develops in mesothelial cells, which form the protective membranous linings that surround the body’s organs, and line body cavities such as the chest. The most common forms of mesothelioma infect the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), the peritoneum (lining of the abdominal cavity), and the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart). Every form a mesothelioma, except the benign form, is most likely fatal, as beating the disease is exceptionally rare.

Unfortunately, mesothelioma is extremely difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Once an individual is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the cancer is usually in its late stages and is highly resistant to treatment. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, and an individual’s risk for developing this cancer increases with extended exposure.

This elusive disease typically remains dormant for 20 to 50 years before symptoms begin to appear. Symptoms of mesothelioma are relatively non-specific and are often quite similar to symptoms of other diseases, which undoubtedly contributes to late diagnosis. For example, pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the cancer, exhibits symptoms ranging from a persistent cough to night sweats or fever. These early warning signs are often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or influenza, allowing the cancer to develop and spread unnoticed.

Nearly 10,000 individuals in the United States die annually from asbestos-related diseases, such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. If you or anyone you know was near the WTC on 9/11, helped in the cleanup, or live or work near the site, you are advised to closely monitor your health and seek assistance from a licensed doctor. For additional resources on mesothelioma and mesothelioma treatment please see the resources at Asbestos.com

If you have not done so already, it is not too late to contact The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. This program provides free and confidential monitoring examinations to workers and volunteers who responded to the WTC attacks. For the next five years, those who participate in the program will receive free medical examinations at regular intervals to monitor responder health. The program’s website, WTCExams.org, offers more information on how to sign up and where to go for examinations.

For more information on asbestos, its uses and harmful health effects, please visit Asbestos.com.

Source: WRH

9/11 Toxic Dust Deaths Continue

9/11 Toxic Dust Deaths Continue

Wednesday, February 06, 2008 - FreeMarketNews.com

When the World Trade Center (WTC) towers crumbled, a dust cloud containing more than 2,500 contaminants spread across the city—reaching as far as New Jersey. The toxic dust was composed of harmful elements such as construction debris, glass and other fibers, and poisonous compounds such as lead, mercury, and asbestos. Those living and working near the WTC and those who assisted in cleanup were gravely affected by this contaminated dust. Many of those exposed to the dust have experienced disquieting health issues, ranging from problems with breathing to various forms of cancer, the most common being lung cancer. On January 6, 2008, the New York Post released the preliminary results of a study by the New York State Department of Health, which reported at least 204 rescue and recovery workers and volunteers have died since 9/11, falling victim to a range of cancers and other disorders. The lead researcher informed The Post that a total of 98 fatalities have been confirmed with death certificates. The research shows that 77 persons died of illnesses, including 55 deaths caused by lung and other cancers. Lung cancer and various respiratory ailments seem to be the most common health issues facing those affected by the WTC attacks. -What Really Happened"

Witnessing Horror at the World Trade Center -- KELLY 165 (2): 261 -- Am J Psychiatry

Witnessing Horror at the World Trade Center -- KELLY 165 (2): 261 -- Am J Psychiatry:

"Witnessing Horror at the World Trade Center

KEVIN V. KELLY, M.D.
New York, N.Y.

To The Editor: The study reported by Megan A. Perrin, M.P.H., et al., published in the September 2007 issue of the Journal (1), involved a methodologic decision which may have resulted in the loss of some clinically important data and an underestimate of the traumatogenic experiences of firefighters.

The article stated that "witnessing horror," one of the variables studied for its effects on the prevalence of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), "was defined as witnessing any of the following: an airplane hitting the World Trade Center, a building collapsing, people running from a cloud of dust/debris, individuals being injured or killed, or people falling or jumping from the World Trade Center towers" (1, p. 1387). These experiences are surely horrific, but the list includes only events at the time of the collapse.

As noted in the Cohort section, work at the World Trade Center site continued for nearly 9 months after the collapse. During that time, members of the New York City Fire Department performed the bulk of the recovery work and were repeatedly exposed to horrific scenes of decaying and dismembered human remains. In the early days of the recovery effort, firefighters often had to disassemble corpses in order to remove them from the wreckage before they burned. In later months, the remains they found were in states of increasing decomposition. All these conditions contributed to the cumulative traumatic effect of the ongoing World Trade Center experience and may help to explain the greater prevalence of PTSD found among firefighters than among other groups, such as the police.

In my capacity as staff psychiatrist for the New York City Fire Department’s Bureau of Health Services and Counseling Services Unit, I have had occasion to interview and treat hundreds of firefighters traumatized by their experiences at the World Trade Center. While large-scale bereavement and threats to personal safety were surely traumatic for them, it is the horrific experiences of the recovery period in the months after the collapse itself that regularly appear in their nightmares and flashbacks.

Footnotes

Dr. Kelly is a medical officer in the New York City Fire Department.

This letter (doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07091491) was accepted for publication in October 2007.

Reference

Perrin MA, DiGrande L, Wheeler K, Thorpe L, Farfel M, Brackbill R: Differences in PTSD prevalence and associated risk factors among World Trade Center disaster rescue and recovery workers. Am J Psychiatry 2007; 164:1385–1394[Abstract/Free Full Text]

FIRE NEWS - Marc Mullenix passed away

FROM CAL FIRE NEWS:

Fire News: Marc Mullenix passed away

Marc Mullenix of Fairmount Fire Dept near Denver passed away on 1- 28

Marc Mullenix (ICT1 trainee on Rocky Mtn Team) passed away last night.

Last year he was a Type 1 Incident Commander trainee on Kim Martin's Incident Management Team in the Rocky Mountain Geographic Area.

Marc was a veteran of Ground Zero/ 9-11 and an IC IMT2 during Katrina operations.

Previous employers and assignments included:

• Bureau Land Management Station Forman for the Benton Fire Station, California (1989)
• Wildland Fire Division Chief for the Boulder Fire Department, Colorado.
• Fire Management Officer for Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.
• Fairmont Fire Protection District, Colorado.
• Ground Zero New York, New York 9-11-2001
• Katrina -Texas - IC IMT2
  

Here is a link to a short article of Marc recounting his work at Ground Zero
Here is a link to a short article of Marc recounting his work at the Snaking fire outside of Denver which appeared on the CNN web site.
Here is a link to a short article on Cal Fire News of Marc discussing the Neola North Fire

Marc Mullenix quote found on the web:
In regards to Ground Zero - "We saw the faces; we heard the stories; we were at the pile when they found a body," he says."In 22 years of fire service, this was by far the worst thing and the best thing ... the most psychologically draining thing I've ever done. Every nerve ending was ripped open like a scab. I'll never forget the smell. The noise was unbearable ... every one of your senses is maxed out. "

Join the discussion of Marcs passing at: WildlandFire.com Theysaid Forum
As friends and colleague's share remembrances about this larger than life professional wild land fire fighter's life, the following quotes in regards to Marc are from Theysaid.

" Marc was a colleague, mentor, and friend. Words fail to express our loss.
Please say a prayer for our brother, his family, and his friends.
Rest assured, his passion will live on in all of us fortunate to have worked
with him.
Godspeed, Marc, Godspeed."

"Marc was an excellent firefighter, leader, teacher, motivator, and friend"

"When someone as fine as Marc passes on it's hard to know what to say.
He was a good thinker, good strategist, cared for the troops, knew how
to communicate. He was a LEADER. It's hard to think that he won't be
around doing what he did well. Our loss, fire's loss. My condolences to
his family."

"I am deeply saddened to hear of Marc's passing. Marc was an excellent firefighter, leader, teacher, motivator, and friend. The most important thing I learned from Marc was 'always take care of your people'. It was hard not to have fun when around Marc, even when situations got to be a bit rough he had a way of keeping morale up while keeping the troops focused on the task at hand. He was a great guy that will be dearly missed.
My condolences to his family.
Godspeed, Marc."

" I met Marc at least twenty years ago in Boulder, CO and wrote a story about this larger-than-life wildland guy. Just talking with him, I could sense that this man was going places in the wildland fire world. And, he sure did! He was known far and wide in that world, thinking out of the box. Doin great things for his wildland fire folks. He reminded me of wildland fire legend, Paul Gleason. Since they knew each other, I should think that they are sittin side by side under a big old pine tree swapping fire stories up yonder. Ya, that's how I picture him and his friend, Paul."

To his wife Shawna, and to his daughter, extended family and vast numbers of friends and colleagues, the sincerest condolences on the passing of one of wildland fire's memorable and excellent personalities. He's home now.
RIP
Please leave comments here

9-11 rescue workers abandoned by White house

Bush Administration avoiding hearing on aid for out-of-state 9/11 responders

The White House is ducking Tuesday's hearing on why it scrapped a plan to help ailing 9/11 responders who live outside New York.

The decision to skip the hearing is angering critics who say the Bush administration has all but abandoned the generous souls who raced to New York after 9/11.

"Responders rushed from all over the country to help New York on 9/11. But [the U.S. Health and Human Services Department] couldn't find one person in the building to come to New York?" said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens).

"They don't fight for 9/11 health programs. Instead, they fight to stop them."

A spokeswoman who returned a call to the Health and Human Services Department said officials would answer questions at another time.

That's not good enough for Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn), who leads the House oversight subcommittee on government management, organization and procurement.

"If I must issue subpoenas, that is what I will do," Towns vowed. "The administration's handling of 9/11 health care is one of the worst-managed programs I have ever seen."

The nationwide 9/11 health program would have offered pharmacy benefits to sick responders and processed medical reimbursements, a key step in setting up regional clinics.

Many ailing responders are still forced to travel to New York for care. Federal officials have said the program was canceled because bidders were confused and cost estimates had ballooned.

IAFF: ‘Fire Brigade’ Descends Upon Orlando

‘Rudy Lied, Fire Fighters Died on 9/11’

IAFF ‘Fire Brigade’ Descends Upon Orlando
More Than 100 Fire Fighters Rally Against Giuliani

11:30 am, Tuesday, Jan. 22
Orlando City Hall, 400 S. Orange Avenue Orlando , Florida

Media Contacts: Bill Glanz 202 824-1566,202 329-5856 (cell)
David Roscow 703-276-2772 x21 


9/11 FDNY Veteran Fire Fighters Fault Giuliani for Lack of Preparedness


Orlando – More than 100 Orlando fire fighters will join the International
Association of Fire Fighters “Fire Brigade” to protest former New York Mayor
Rudy Giuliani’s presidential candidacy at a demonstration outside of Orlando
City Hall. The “Fire Brigade,” a group of retired New York City fire fighters
and family members of fire fighter victims of the September 11, 2001, attack on
the World Trade Center will expose Giuliani’s trumped up 9/11 credentials as a
myth.

Prior to the demonstration the Orlando fire fighters will gather at a rally at
10 am at the Fire Fighters Council of Central Florida, 4005 North Blossom Trail
in Orlando.

“This is about the judgment of our country’s next President,” said IAFF General
President Harold A. Schaitberger. “Voters in Florida, where Rudy has pinned his
hopes for his election, need to know Giuliani’s record of poor judgment so they
understand why we don’t believe he’s nearly qualified to be our next President
of the United States.”

Jim Riches, a newly retired Deputy Chief of the Fire Department of New York,
has been leading the IAFF “Fire Brigade.”  Riches has trailed the Giuliani
campaign over the last week protesting at events in Titusville, Sun City
Center, Celebration, Coral Springs, and other sites.

“No one knows better than fire fighters who were at the World Trade Center that
Giuliani failed to prepare first responders before 9/11 and that he is totally
unprepared to become our commander-in-chief,” said Riches, who responded on
9/11 and lost his fire fighter son, Jimmy Riches, at Ground Zero. “We object to
Giuliani using 9/11 as his calling card in this campaign. He and his campaign
cronies say New York City fire fighters love him, but that is far from the
truth. We despise him. Giuliani’s failure on 9/11, and in the days and months
leading up to the attack prove he is unfit to serve as President.”

The first event was held in Jacksonville on Thursday, where he met with members
of Jacksonville Fire Fighters Local 122, retired and active, to discuss
Giuliani’s record.

To explain Giuliani’s failed leadership, the IAFF created a 13-minute video,
which can be viewed at www.rudy-urbanlegend.com, and on YouTube, where with
more than 380,000 views it has become one of the most popular video in the news
and politics category on the video sharing Web site.  The IAFF is funding and
assisting the “Fire Brigade” as it crisscrosses Florida.

“Rudy doesn’t know anything about fighting terrorism, as far as we are
concerned he has terrible judgment,” Riches said. “He couldn’t even protect his
own fire fighters, forcing us to use radios that didn’t work, placing the
emergency command center in a known terrorist target that collapsed on 9/11 and
then disrespecting fire fighters and families when he cut short the recovery
effort and began scooping and dumping bodies in a trash dump.”

“I was in FDNY for more than 40 years, and was the Chief of Safety, so I know
that Giuliani did nothing for fire fighters,” said Al Santora, a retired Deputy
Chief who lost his fire fighter son, Christopher Santora, on 9/11. “His actions
at the time and leading up to the attack, and during the day itself, showed a
tremendous lack of judgment, and failure of leadership.”

“Rudy talks a big game about 9/11, but the fact is he was on the street that
day, not in a controlled place making command decisions, because he had placed
his emergency command center at 7 World Trade Center – the number one terrorist
target in the world, which collapsed on 9/11,” Santora said. “That video that
everyone has in their heads of Giuliani on the streets is him running away from
the scene because he had nowhere to go because of his bad decisions.”

“Rudy continues to lie about his role on 9/11, but we’re not going to let him
get away with it,” Riches said. “The IAFF and our Fire Brigade are going to be
the conscience of 9/11, haunting Giuliani’s footsteps in this campaign. We will
not forget his failures, and we want the American people to remember, as well.”

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington,
DC, represents more than 287,000 full-time professional fire fighters and
paramedics who protect 80 percent of the nation’s population.  More information
is available at www.iaff.org.