Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Tosh Anderson or JoAnn Lum
(212) 518-1274 (m) or (212) 625-0288 (m)

WHAT:
Lower Manhattan residents and Ground Zero clean-up workers who are sick because of the toxic post-9/11 air will be available to speak with press before and after Mondays Congressional hearing with former EPA Administrator Christine Whitman. They will be holding a Press Conference before the hearing to demand accountability from Whitman for her remarks that the air in Lower Manhattan was safe after 9/11, and testify about the severe health problems they have experienced as a result of exposure to the post-9/11 air.

WHEN:
Monday, June 25
Press conference at 11:30 a.m.
Residents and workers present at hearing from 1 p.m. onward

WHERE:
In front of Rayburn House Building (Independence Ave.-side entrance)
Washington D.C.

WHO:
Low-income residents and workers from Lower Manhattan and Ground Zero clean-up workers still suffering from the health effects of 9/11, along with representatives from the Beyond Ground Zero Network.

WHY:
Tens of thousands of Lower Manhattan residents and workers continue to suffer from severe health problems as a result of exposure to dust and debris in the air immediately after 9/11. These serious, life-altering health problems include chronic respiratory problems, skin, eye and neurological problems, and disturbingly growing incidences of miscarriages and cancers. Many of these people decided to return to their homes and jobs after hearing EPA Director Whitmans assurance that the air was safe in the days following 9/11. They now demand accountability from Whitman about her statements that adversely affected their lives and their health, and call on the federal government to fund an accessible, high-quality long-term medical treatment and study program for 9-11-affected workers and residents, along with compensation or health insurance for all affected.

The Beyond Ground Zero Network (BGZ) is a group of community-based organizations that came together shortly after September 11, 2001 to address the severe health and economic impact of the World Trade Centers collapse on Lower Manhattans low-income communities, especially among immigrants in Chinatown and the Lower East Side. BGZ works to organize affected workers and residents and secure health care and treatment for low-income, uninsured workers and residents with 9.11-related health problems.

BEYOND GROUND ZERO
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund · Chinese Staff and Workers Association · Commission on the Publics Health System · National Mobilization Against Sweatshops · Urban Justice Center