Surviving September 11: Fighting for Our Health and Our Lives

Most low-income working people were suffering long before 9-11. Since 9-11, we're hurting even more. The government lied to us and allowed the toxic air to destroy our health. The government's relief programs helped the rich and ignored the poor. Even after thousands of us marched for our health in New York City, the Bush administration still ignored our health and economic needs, and did not changed the policies and procedures that discriminate against low-income people. Their rebuilding plan, which has continued under the Obama administration, throws lots of money to big corporations for their infrastructure, but nothing for rebuilding our lives, especially our health. We've waited long enough.

NMASS' health committee brings together people who worked or lived in Lower Manhattan during and after the September 11, 2001 attacks with other workers who were injured on the job. We are also part of the Beyond Ground Zero coalition. We're demanding that Obama and Congress be accountable to working people affected by 9-11.

BGZ Main Section: Organizng for healthy communities & government accountability in the wake of 9/11 The "We Count" Study - September 2009 The"We Count Report" - September 2009 (PDF) The "We Count" Letter tto Congress December 2009 (PDF) Connect to the BGZ website (leave the NMASS website). Background of the Struggle: NMASS Organizing 2001-2002 "STOP THE ATTACKS ON OUR HEALTH": The Hunger Strike by Injured Workers in 2003

Organizing for healthy communities & government accountability in the wake of 9/11

GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES:
CHOOSING BUSINESS OVER HEALTH

From the very beginning, the government focused on damage control instead of cleaning up the toxic air. Much of the 9/11 disaster funding did not reach those with the most serious health and financial needs. Based on narrowly defined geographic boundaries and eligibility requirements, the government denied benefits to thousands of workers and residents and excluded them from health studies.

Workers and residents are now coming forward to demand treatment and studies to address their health problems and to uncover government wrongs. After 9/11, the federal government spent $2.7 billion to subsidize Lower Manhattan corporations and $150 million to help move in high-end retail shops. But only after six years of protest and illness did the federal government allocate money for health programs including residents and workers--and this funding has already been cut back significantly.

Years after 9/11, illness and the resulting inability to work are plaguing individuals, families, and communities. Many of those suffering from 9/11-related conditions and illnesses have reduced income but increased medical expenses. They are living out the

results of government neglect, forced to choose between paying the rent and purchasing their children’s asthma medication.

COMING TOGETHER,
FIGHTING FOR OUR RIGHTS

Since early 2002, BGZ has fought to bring light to the health and economic problems of residents and workers beyond the government-designated Ground Zero area.

In 2003, BGZ partnered with Bellevue Hospital to create the only treatment and study program for residents and workers affected by 9/11. Now expanded to Elmhurst and Gouverneur Hospitals , the “ World Trade Center Environmental Health Center ” has gained such prominence that Mayor Bloomberg recently committed $33 million to support its efforts in serving the ever-increasing number of affected persons.

Together, we demand the following from the federal government:

BGZ organizes residents and workers seeking medical assistance and health care and advocates for workers’ compensation to cover 9/11 illnesses. BGZ holds workers’ compensation assistance sessions for post-9/11 cleanup workers and hosts an injured workers network to promote mutual support for addressing problems.

Still, we have barely scratched the surface of this public health crisis. Doctors are still unable to fully understand our 9/11-related health problems; our workers’ compensation cases are being delayed or unjustly closed; and our health and financial burdens are growing. Now is the time for all of us affected workers, residents, and students to come together to call for the government’s commitment to these issues.

JOIN US & GET INVOLVED

Join us in this important struggle by:

OUR STORIES, OUR LIVES

“I never had asthma before. Now I also have a sound in my lung, my throat is rough, I have acid reflux, I have a hernia . . . and I had a liver transplant in 2003. . . . My life is not the same. I go up the stairs and I’m out of breath. . . . A lot of people around me are sick. My granddaughter has asthma. Lots of people have skin problems. . . . With us poor people, workers and residents, you never hear about it when we die. They only recognize the people who were working right there at Ground Zero.”

“On 9/11 I was a senior at Stuyvesant High School . . . . I was told the school was cleaned up and everything was taken care of. . . . I’m not an expert on clean up so I just deferred to the expert opinion and moved on with my life. . . . I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2006 . . . I read that [it] can be caused b environment[al] factors . . . [and] not too long after I was di

agnosed I began to hear about lawsuits filed by recovery workers with all kinds of blood cancers . . . maybe there’s a pattern here.”

Lea:

“My life, especially my health, has drastically been affected after dust and debris from 9/11. I grew up with a mild form of psoriasis. After exposure to the 9/11 toxic air, my psoriasis worsened and spread throughout my entire body. . . . I eventually discovered that I had polyps and lesions in my cervix and uterus, . . . [and] [a] few months later, I developed bronchitis. . . . The government needs to take responsibility for our lives, our health and our future. After all, we residents and workers did our part to get the city back together after 9/11. Now it’s time for the government to step up.”

TOXIC DEBRIS & TOXIC AIR, COUGHS & CANCERS

The collapse of the World Trade Center towers immediately released concrete, mercury, asbestos, and lead into the air, and smoke from chemical fires contaminated the air for many months. These toxins seeped into offices, apartments, furniture, and people’s bodies.

Over six years after 9/11, many New Yorkers are sick and getting sicker from this toxic fallout. They suffer from asthma, lung damage, frequent colds, skin rashes, stomach problems, gynecological problems, anxiety, and depression. Others are developing

more serious conditions, like neurological problems and cancers. No one knows the long-term effects of exposure to these World Trade Center toxins.

GOVERNMENT LIES

Days after 9/11, then EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman told the nation, “I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington , D.C. that their air is safe to breathe and their water is safe to drink.” The Bush administration encouraged workers,

residents, and students to return before properly testing the area.

These lies were meant to get New York City back on its feet and back to business as usual. Office and service workers were called back to work within a week of the disaster; residents and students were encouraged to return home and get back to school. Some 40,000 workers were hired to do cleanup, often working double shifts, seven days a week, for little pay in dangerous conditions.

The government’s lies convinced thousands of workers and residents to inhale, touch, and ingest toxic air and materials, leading to the serious health problems we see today.

BEYOND GROUND ZERO

The Beyond Ground Zero Network (BGZ) is a coalition of community-based workers’ groups and legal and health advocacy organizations that came together shortly after September 11, 2001 to address the severe health and economic impact of the World Trade Center collapse on Lower Manhattan’s low-income communities, especially Chinatown and the Lower East Side.

BGZ’s member groups include:

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Chinese Staff and Workers Association
Commission on the Public’s Health System
National Mobilization Against Sweatshops
Urban Justice Center ’s Community Development Project

The Beyond Ground Zero Network
c/o NMASS P.O. Box 130293
New York , NY 10013-0995
www.beyondgroundzero.org
Phone (English, Spanish, & Polish): 212.358.0295
Phone (Chinese & English): 212.334.2333

Email: info@beyondgroundzero.org

We Count!
A Community Health Survey

(Completed in 2009)

The 9/11 Health Crisis Continues.

Health problems caused by 9/11 toxic air continue to devastate the lives of countless workers, residents, and students in NYC. After the World Trade Center collapsed, 1.2 million tons of toxins covered lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The government covered up the problem in 2001 and continues to do so by:

• Downplaying the 9/11 health problem
• Restricting treatment to a small percentage of people affected
• Narrowing the list of 9/11-related health problems eligible for life-long treatment
• Failing to conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects of 9/11 toxins

Beyond Ground Zero and 9/11 Environmental Action conducted the "WE COUNT!" Survey to further investigate the epidemic. We found that the needs of the community have not been fully met. The President and Congress must respond to our needs immediately and in the long term.

Background of the Epidemic:

• 2001 The government lies to the public about the toxins blanketing New York after 9-11, assuring us that the air is safe to breathe. Many people start to fall sick
• 2002 The government responds to 9/11 by using billions of dollars to displace the community. Thousands of residents and workers begin to protest the government’s lies and fight for control of their health.
• 2006 The community forces the City of New York to commit millions of dollars for treatment.

The government still refuses to stuy the full impact.

Our findings show:

I. The health of many workers and residents is not improving.

88% say their health is worse because of 9/11. More than 1/3 say none of their symptoms have improved.

II. Many 9/11-affected workers and residents are not seeking treatment at the World Trade Center Environmental Health Centers.

72% have gone to private doctors, while only 39% have visited the Centers. Only 26% currently seeking treatment go to the Centers.

“Some illnesses are acknowledged as 9/11(related), others are denied.” - We Count Survey Respondent #184

III. The government refuses to recognize emerging 9/11-related health problems.

Many respondents report the following problems not covered by the pending legislation:

• 50% experience headaches.
  
• 34% experience chest pain.
• 36% experience memory loss.
  
• 29% experience muscle/joint pain.
• 28% experience dizziness or vertigo.
  
• 27% experience eye problems.
  
• 25% experience skin problems.
  
• 22% experience numbness.
  

Others reported suffering from gynecological problems and cancers.

IV. The Government has failed to adequately provide outreach to children affected by 9/11.

Almost two-thirds of parents surveyed say that their children suffer from anxiety and depression, and nearly half have respiratory problems. Many children even have learning problems.

V. Many workers and residents are no longer able to work because of their 9/11-related health problems.

• 57% are not able to work because of their 9/11-related health problems.
• 36% are not covered by insurance.

President Obama and Congress: Don’t Ignore the Ongoing 9/11 Health Crisis!

Any legislation must include:
• New and emerging illnesses of 9/11-affected workers, residents, and students
• Residents in the Lower East Side and Chinatown above Houston Street
• All those not yet counted as 9/11-affected because they are seeing private doctors

We Demand:

• Long-term treatment and study
• Health insurance for all affected
  
• Reparations for those suffering permanent damage now or in the future
• Just and timely workers’ compensation

Beyond Ground Zero Network
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association
Commission on the Public’s Health System
National Mobilization Against SweatShops
Community Development Project of the
Urban Justice Center

9/11 Environmental Action

Background of the Struggle

NMASS Organizing 2001-2002

In the months after 911 NMASS went door to door in the Lower East Side of Manhattan to find out the needs of the community. Out of this investigation came the BGZ network and political demands for the government to respnd to the health needs of those made sick by the government's lies and the toxic air. Here are some of our observations and demands developed at that time:

Health and Economic Effects of the September 11th Disaster on Low-Income New Yorkers

The working poor communities in New York City, already struggling before September 11, are now confronted with devastating health and economic problems that have been willfully ignored by the government.

Among the tragic consequences of the September 11 attacks is the tremendous health crisis brought on by the toxic air that blanketed Lower Manhattan, widespread jobs loss, and the mounting economic pressures that have hit the area's low-income communities. The experience of these communities, composed mainly of Chinese, Latino and African American working families, has confirmed what medical experts have found: an epidemic of respiratory, dermatological, digestive and other disorders. As low-income residents and workers report a range of illnesses that include asthma, sinusitis, and bronchitis, severe rashes, pneumonia, irregular menstruation, post-traumatic stress disorder, and struggle to pay for medical bills out of their own pockets, the government ignores their needs. Disaster relief programs failed to provide on-going health coverage, conduct air-quality testing, establish health clinics for the research and treatment of health problems related to the toxic air, or compensate for the damage to the environment, health, and lives of people.

Wealthier New Yorkers were able to escape the chaos and toxic air of New York for months, retreating to alternative residences. Low-income residents of the City were not so fortunate. They had nowhere to go nor could they afford to. They breathed the toxic air, scrambled to find ways to take care of their families' health problems after losing their medical coverage with their jobs, and struggled to survive.

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Government Disaster Relief Since 9/11 and Disparity in Aid Between Rich and Poor

The Federal Government's disaster relief effort has, in fact, stripped the poor to added to the coffers of the wealthiest. Government emergency assistance provided via FEMA is meant to meet emerging disaster-related needs of affected people and fill in gaps in assistance. FEMA has failed miserably in fulfilling its responsibility to address the disaster-related needs of low-income working people. While it is responsible for disaster-related health problems, FEMA defers responsibility to State and Federal health insurance programs, such as Medicaid, that were not intended to address disaster-related health needs. In fact, Disaster Medicaid was the only program that provided interim health coverage, but has now expired. Family Health Plus has strict income requirements and severely limited coverage. As a result, left out of the loop are thousands of working people who suffered health problems because of 9/11 but were on fixed income, and thousands more who lost their jobs but whose salary loss did not add up to a 25% loss in their household's income. For example, a Lower East Side resident on a pension has suffered severe trauma and aggravated heart problems because of the disaster and now needs more therapy and medication. Her co-payments add up to $100 a month which she cannot afford on her fixed income.

The programs instituted by the government have been marked by a willingness to help upper- and middle-class persons, but delay and failure in addressing the needs of low-income New Yorkers. For example, under the Disaster Housing program, FEMA immediately sprang into action and relocated hundreds of residents of the West Side of lower Manhattan, declaring their apartments unlivable and paying their stays at hotels. However, despite the toxic dust that swept across and inside the apartments of Chinatown and the Lower East Side, FEMA failed to relocate residents of these low-income neighborhoods.

FEMA's Mortgage and Rental Assistance (MRA) program has been a massive failure for low-income New Yorkers. From the start the program has been marked by arbitrary rule making, confusion, and denial for low-income New Yorkers. FEMA initially allowed the Red Cross to handle rental assistance, trusting a private and--in its own words--unaccountable institution to decide who was and was not a victim. The Red Cross decided that those living in Battery Park, Tribeca and the wealthier West Side, especially those who could afford luxury apartments and condominiums, were definitely victims, while thousands Chinatown garment workers who lost their jobs as a direct result of September 11 and many living in nearby low-income housing units were not.

Months afterwards, FEMA introduced its MRA program, sending out 30,000 applications. Approximately 10% were processed and approved. Thousands were discouraged from applying or denied even though most worked within the eligible zone. For example, from last October until this past May, FEMA publicly stated that its northernmost boundary for aid was Houston Street. In practice, it denied aid to thousands of low-income garment workers who worked north of Canal St. and south of Houston St. FEMA has since apologized, but has failed to change its policies and procedures to benefit low-income workers.

FEMA's processing requirements clearly discriminate against low-wage workers. Even with other records and documentation, the hopes of receiving assistance from the MRA program for garment workers and many other exploited workers hinge on the good word and cooperation of their sweatshop bosses and slum landlords. The recent “expansion” of MRA in late July does nothing to address these issues (See Appendix).

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Government Misleads and Abandons Low-Income New Yorkers Following 9/11

For months after September 11, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told residents in lower Manhattan that the air was safe. Meanwhile, the EPA tested the air only on the West Side of lower Manhattan, never setting foot in the East Side. Only when independent reports were released indicating that the air quality was unsafe throughout lower Manhattan, did the government hint that the air might be dangerous. This inaction and about-face suggests a cover-up.

It is outrageous for the government to use virtually all $20 billion to coddle the wealthy, subsidize big businesses and pump cash into land developers while expecting low-income families to live in a toxic environment and borrow money from relatives to pay for disaster-related health needs.

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July 31, 2002 -- the March on Washington --Our Demands

The Beyond Ground Zero Network, formed in the wake of September 11 by low-income, working people who work and/or live near Ground Zero, comprises garment workers, public housing residents, service workers, full-time mothers, injured workers, and senior citizens. We are spearheading a march in Washington D.C. to expose the government's discriminatory and anti-poor practices and cover-up of environmental hazards, and demand that the government immediately prioritize rebuilding people's health and lives.

On June 5 we organized 4,000 people from Lower Manhattan area to march in New York City to protest the lack of response of agencies such as the FEMA and the Red Cross to their health and economic needs, which 2,000 workers had voiced on May 5 at our community townhall meeting. However, the Bush Administration and FEMA show no intention of addressing the health concerns of people.

We make the following demands upon the Federal Government:

1)The government must expand the range and scope of existing relief efforts and set up a new relief program to provide living expenses to those who have suffered loss of health or income, including those who live or work north of Canal Street who are affected by the disaster.

2) The government must provide reparations for its cover-up of the toxic air. Aside from monetary compensation and immediately cleaning up the environment, the government must establish a medical institution to specialize in studying the effects of the toxic air on people and to provide appropriate medical care.

3) The government must create a law to protect low-income housing and garment manufacturing in our community. The government must make Chinatown a special zone to preserve industrial buildings and factories.

4) The government must change the Family Health Plus program and raise the income eligibility level, allowing all people who work in New York to enjoy medical health coverage.

5) FEMA must change the wrong policies and procedures of the MRA program to address the needs of all of us who are affected by 9/11.





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"STOP THE ATTACKS ON OUR HEALTH":
The 2003 Hunger Strike by Injured Workers