Ground Zero Lung Problems Persist

clipped from news.yahoo.com Researchers tracking Sept. 11 responders who became ill after working at the World Trade Center site found many had lung problems years later in a study the authors said proves persistent illness in people exposed to toxic dust caused by the twin towers' collapse. The study by the Mount Sinai Medical Center's medical monitoring program examined more than 3,000 responders between 2004 and 2007, repeating exams conducted between the middle of 2002 and 2004. Slightly more than 24 percent of the patients had abnormal lung function, the study found. In the earlier examinations, about 28 percent of the patients had similar results. The researchers tracked 3,160 people who took followup exams between September 2004 and December 2007; all had previous exams at least 18 months earlier.

This is probably a good time to remind everyone of a largely forgotten Bush administration scandal -- they lied about air safety at ground zero, because they wanted to get Wall Street up and running ASAP.

"Insider: EPA Lied About WTC Air," CBS News, 2006:

On Sept. 13, 2001, then-EPA head Christine Todd Whitman told reporters at ground zero, "We have not seen any reason — any readings that have indicated any health hazard."

Asked by [CBS] if EPA officials lied, [whistleblower Cate Jenkins. Ph.D.] responded, "Yes, they did."

How many of these cases could've been avoided? It's impossible to say. But we should never forget that many could've been avoided, if it weren't for a bunch of soulless, lying politicians in the White House.