9/11 Environmental Health—Disaster and Response

The tragic events of 9/11/01 and thereafter resulted in the worst environmental disaster in the history of New York City. Toxic contaminants were dispersed over a wide geographic area. A variety of exposure scenarios produced clinically diagnosed persistent respiratory and other illnesses in multiple exposure populations, with fatalities beginning to be reported. Government efforts to protect public health and to assess and remediate contaminants have been minimal and sometimes have been driven by political imperatives rather than by public health principles. This article examines the scope of the environmental disaster, the statutory requirements that regulate governmental response, and the nature of government response efforts. It provides the context for a companion article also published in this issue of New Solutions. The companion article examines a grassroots environmental movement, the World Trade Center Community Labor Coalition, and its advocacy efforts for environmental cleanup and for access to health care for impacted populations and communities.