Customer Reviews

City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11 (FT Press Science)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On September 11, the collapse of the Twin Towers hellishly covered everything in a given radius in inches of pulverized, "highly caustic cement dust" laced with asbestos, benzene and "other dangerous elements." People running away were blizzardized with these toxic materials. Nearby buildings, including residences, were infiltrated. And rescue workers who came to the massive pile of WTC debris to search for survivors and fight the ongoing fires breathed the stuff in for days on end.

City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11 is a thoroughgoing examination of the contours of the health crisis that followed from this poisonous dusting (at thick as four inches close to the epicenter) of New York City. Author Anthony DePalma reports on every aspect from adverse symptoms attributed by sufferers to the dust to medical efforts to treat and document them. From city, state, and federal actions taken regarding the health concerns to legal actions (including class action law suits brought in federal court and still pending in 2010) brought against those governments later when their actions were scrutinized and found wanting. DePalma tells the stories of a number who died from complications apparently linked to the dust, as well as of some who are still alive but continue to experience severe respiratory and other ailments. Perhaps most compelling are the passages in which the reader follows along with someone who was near Ground Zero on the fateful day. These stories alone make the book worth reading.

However, the author, not constricted by inch space in a newspaper or a printed magazine, is determined to record countless details. For example: who ordered what when; whether respirators were made available to those working on "the pile" of rubble; whether those respirators were used and if not, why not; what OSHA did' what Mayor Giuliani did; etc. At times, DePalma becomes repetitive as he emphasizes the tendency of the firefighters looking for survivors to work unprotected in the patriotic fervor of the losses of so many of their comrades as well as the thousands of others who died and lay, literally, under their feet. Some editing could have been undertaken without compromising the basic facts. Nevertheless, CITY OF DUST often benefits greatly from being such a meticulously researched work. It is enriched by many interviews and a generally evenhanded representation of the many viewpoints of various people the author depicts.

In the end, one conclusion that is drawn is that, "Responders risked their lives to recover the remains of the victims, a task that was supremely noble but that, in the end, did not require much haste." In other words, once enough time had passed that the mission changed from rescue to recovery, cooler emotions ought to have dictated that any and all workers at the polluted WTC site had to don "protective Tyvek suits and respirators at all times." This was not done. Neither overseeing authorities nor the at-risk individuals used common sense, and as a result, the years ahead will continue to see serious, sometimes life-threatening aftereffects from the dust breathed in there. And some of those affected will also be the civilians who were coated in the toxic dust on 9/11 and who went back to homes where their scrubbing didn't eliminate all the dangerous substances. As one reads, one considers, along with the author, where responsibility should have resided: how much was up to individuals and how much to government agencies and elected officials?

For anyone who wants to know just about everything possible about the consequences of exposure to WTC dust as well as all the ancillary medical, administrative and legal developments, CITY OF DUST is the book for you.

4.5 stars.

A definite buy if you are interested in the details of the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath!

This book chronicles the lasting effects of the dust cloud that surged over Manhattan on 9/11 when the towers came down. The dust was a mixture of mercury vapor from the thousands of florescent tubes, gasses from the improperly burning jet fuel, asbestos, pulverized concrete dust from the structure itself, as well as untold hundreds of other volatile chemicals made from the burning computers, monitors, carpeting, clothing, and bodies that made up the mess at Ground Zero.

This Dust permeated buildings, schools, hallways, ductwork, and worked it's way deep into the lungs of those that were there that day, pushing high levels of carcinogenic chemicals and concrete dust deep into their bodies. Those that worked at Ground Zero over the next three months had to deal with slowly burning jet fuel deep underground and the toxic off-gassing that came with it, breathing in even more chemicals as they worked tirelessly to rescue people and help rebuild our nation.

Not mentioned much outside of New York City, this book offers a very detailed look into the lives that have been affected by the dust cloud. It chronicles the sense of dread that hung over everyone that was there when the towers came down, the feeling of being blind when the dust clouds first hit, and the panic that even the governmental agencies felt as they took stock of the situation.

It was an unprecedented event that no one in government or business had properly prepared for. The sheer number of things that had gone wrong stupefied all the officials who were being pressured for immediate response and to come together with one resolute face to present to the public.

Our nation, led by Bush's presidency, took a hard-line stance against the terrorists and pushed for rebuilding and recovery. We presented a strong, united front. We pushed for recovery speed over safety, strength over licking our wounds. This decision had lasting effects on those people who risked, and are now giving their lives, to help sort through the rubble.

A lot of mistakes were made, from all sides. We had never had an attack, or fought a fire like this before. The EPA did not have data on what health risks there would be for the thousands of contractors, firemen, police, and others who spent months cleaning up Ground Zero. We all hope the information gathered will never have to be used again.
My hats off to the author who presented many sides to the issue, from the businesses affected, the doctors who ran the free clinics, lawyers who sued years later, students who's high school was shut down due to dust invasion, the firemen and police officers who felt unpatriotic wearing respirators while sifting through rubble, and the government agencies who's own emergency response area had been destroyed in the attacks.

I think everyone should read this book. I for one am fascinated with 9/11 history, and this book provides a deep look into an ongoing facet of the attacks that still haunts America today.

Fast approaching the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Center attack, Anthony DePalma's "City of Dust" gives the reader an incredibly comprehensive look at the tangled history of the ground zero site through a public health and policy lens. This is probably the most nuanced and measured analysis of the health implications and impacts of the Trade Center dust on the first responders and the New York residents that I have ever read. For anyone with an interest in this issue, you will finish this book feeling extremely informed.

That being said, DePalma's book needs a large measure of commitment. Because of all of the different angles he uses to approach the issue and that the reader needs to be informed about, he has used a setup method that involves choosing a representative of a group (for example, the head of the Mt. Sinai medical team) and tracing their actions from 9/11 to about five years or so afterward, to give the reader an understanding of that piece of the puzzle. Then he takes the representative of another group (for example, the head of a Manhatten residents' advocacy group), and does the same thing. Then he'll do it again (Mayor Guilliani) and again (the head doctor for the firefighters) and again (one of the policemen on duty that day) and again (a first responder who worked with a body-sniffing dog). It's all interesting information, but it quickly starts becoming almost a little frustrating to be constantly reset to the beginning. But it is necessary, because after all elements are established DePalma starts weaving them together.

This is an extremely informative book, but it is largely retrospective. I finished it feeling extremely frustrated about the mistakes that were made on all sides, but was left with very little in the way of positive ideas for the future and potential programs.

When most people think about the victims of 9/11, they think of the souls lost on that very day. This book makes very clear that the number of victims is still increasing ten years later. It is estimated that ultimately, the dust from 9/11 will effect 500,000 people in NY and NJ.

The author does a tremendous job of putting together a lot of information on the nature of the dust, why the dust was so destructive, first responders who are ill or who have died and the role that federal and state governments (NY, NJ) played in this tragedy. The dust itself was made up of asbestos, mercury, cadmium, benzene, poly aromatic hydrocarbons and pulverized bone and concrete so small that it could pass directly through the lung's defenses. The mound at ground zero smoldered for many months with a constant stream of volatiles from the jet fuel making it's way out to the first responders.

One of the most critical points this book makes is that after the first week or so, the operation at ground zero should have changed from one of rescue to recovery. There was no need for all the haste and non use of ventilation gear after it was evident that only dead bodies remained at the World Trade Centers yet firemen, policemen and contractors continued to work as if they were on a rescue mission where survivors would be found. This is a sad legacy of their heroism.

After reading this book, it is clear that no one intended for the first responders to become sick and die. Air was tested on and around the ground zero site, but no one seemed to know what to make of the data because there had never been a situation of this magnitude. So the blame continues to go round and round as to whose fault it was that first responders didn't wear their ventilation equipment and why the neighborhoods surrounding ground zero were allowed to be repopulated so quickly. We find in the book that part of the reason was federal pressure (White House) that the country must appear to return to normal as quickly as possible and most importantly that Wall Street (a hop and a skip from ground zero) must open ASAP.

I learned an immense amount from this book on environmental science, medicine and emergency management. Most of all, I learned what exactly was in that deadly dust. I have an interest in this because I live in NJ and was exposed to the dust that day.

The only criticism of the book I have is that there is too much detail to retain. So many people and places and medical terms. Overall, I think it is an excellent book to read, especially if you lived in NY or NJ on 9/11. Outside of this region I don't know how successful this book will be.

"City of Dust" is a careful narrative of the emergence among 9/11 responders and others in downtown Manhattan on that day of life-threatening, and sometimes fatal health problems. I found myself struggling a bit with what to take away from the story.

The most obvious, although grim, lesson is this: however much you distrust "government" , it's not enough. There is no doubt that in the aftermath of 9/11--not just the first days, but weeks and months afterward, Giuliani, Christine Whitman, and other government representatives deliberately misled everyone about the danger posed by the dust that coated everything. Scientists were well aware that , given the construction materials (including asbestos) and contents of the buildings (computers, light bulbs) the dust likely contained some quantity of unhealthy stuff, and yet as early as 9/12, the government was advising everyone that the dust was "safe", presumably in order to promote the agenda of reopening "Wall Street" and business at the earliest possible moment. Various non-government scientists have to sneak past guards to take samples of the dust for examination. Offers of help from doctors, scientists, etc., including teaching the workers who began clearing the rubble, are refused. Huh??? And the result? Although some form of mask is made available to workers, a great many do not use it. The masks are uncomfortable, and the EPA is telling them that if there is any danger, it's slight. This part of the book is riveting and discouraging.

As the story moves forward in time, dePalma recounts the stories of different people as disparate as firemen who worked for months on clearance and a woman who was nearby when the towers fell, but not after that, all of whom became ill, some of whom died, and some of whom became so disabled as to be unable to work in the future. The focus of the story becomes: Did the dust make these people ill? While it may seem obvious to the reader, there is of course a lot of money at stake, guaranteeing a lot of disagreement over who gets to participate in a limited fund of money. The results are not necessarily just. There are multiple decision-making entities that do not necessarily work to the same standard. Surprisingly, there seems to be a fair amount of room for questioning the culpability of the dust in some of the cases, as well.


The total is a story that uncomfortably doesn't lead to a solution or catharsis, but reinforces one's belief that almost everyone puts greed before humanity and politicking before justice, even in the aftermath of such a great tragedy. During a time that was characterized as "bringing people together" to help each other, there was still more self-interest at work.

I've read a few books on 9/11 but this is the first book that I've read that concentrates on what happened after the towers fell and the dust settled.


I found the book to be fascinating and at the same time, slightly heartbreaking, as author Anthony Depalma, shows that the air at Ground Zero wasn't as safe as the officials said it was at the beginning. Which is kind of crazy that it would be declared safe when even a simpleton should have realized that the dust was from the crumbling building, concrete, and of the remains of the people that perished in the collapse. I don't understand how they tried to claim that breathing all that in was safe. The books goes into detail on what was contained in the dust and the effects of breathing it is and will be. The book shares stories of the people who breathed in and their experiences at Ground Zero.

Overall, I thought the book was quite informative. There's a lot details and information contained in these pages and that might scare some people away from the book. Some might find it hard to get into and stay interested with all the listing of facts. But if you are at all interested in the history of September 11, 2001, I would recommend this book to you.

DePalma is a well-respected reporter who covered the aftermath of 9/11for the New York Times. But I found this book an unsatisfying read. The language seems very repetitive and he seems to circle around and around certain points. Yet some of the key points as to what was going on are never addressed, to my mind.

For several weeks, police, fire, and other responders continued to treat the WTC site as a rescue mission, on the grounds that there could be survivors awaiting rescue, and so there was no time to protect the safety of those who were trying to help. Never mentioned is whether in fact a single living person was ever found in the rubble. I think the answer is no, but in all the many words here, I thought that could be said.

Also, the dust which caused so much damage is described as being as fine as talcum powder, and a mixture of not only concrete, but everything contained in the building, including human DNA. But it is just assumed that such pulverization is the inevitable result of the unprecedented fall of such large buildings along with the burning jet fuel. Call me a 911 conspiracist, but I don't find that entirely credible. When the Challenger shuttle exploded and fell from a much greater height than a tall building, the astronauts didn't actually disintegrate. Their intact bodies were found underwater in a mostly intact shuttle after a fall from 65,000 feet (over 10 miles). Now maybe there's no comparison, maybe bodies and computers turn to dust due to the force of gravity when surrounded by layers of concrete, but I found DePalma's brusque dismissal of conspiracy theorists unconvincing.

I also found many of the facts about what happened almost incredible. Fire fighters didn't feel like wearing protective equipment, and the EPA didn't want to interfere with the their heroic actions. The mayor and everyone else felt it their patriotic duty to get everyone back to work as quickly as possible. People who should have known better insisted that the dust was safe, nothing to worry about. Were we all crazy? It is self-evident that working amidst inches of fine dust is bad for your health. You don't need analysis to figure out that regardless of what's in the dust, all workers, be they bakers or coal miners or cotton-mill workers, who inhale dust regularly get lung disease. The dust doesn't have to be particularly toxic. It doesn't have to be asbestos (as some portion of this apparently was.)

Also maddening is the effects of the legal system on common sense. Even if a billion dollars is set aside to pay for the illnesses caused by the dust, claimants have to prove that there is cause and effect, and lawyers have to be involved, and as much as $400 million ends up going to lawyers, rather than victims. Years go by. People who probably have no claim at all are contacted by lawyers and encouraged to sue, maybe even preemptively, in case they get leukemia 30 years from now.

In the end, between the senseless of what happened that September day, the often annoying writing, and the tediousness of the outcome, the book was unpleasant and unsatisfying to me. The story he tells needs to be documented, and the book does that, but I can't recommend it to the general reader.

When the World Trade Center North and South Towers collapsed from the deliberate and diabolical plan of two airline jet crashing into it, few people suspected about how deadly the dust of those buildings would effect the survivors, residents, and first responders. This expose non-fiction book chronicles the aftermath of the catastrophe that happened on September 11,2001. When the twin towers came down, 2,749 souls had lost their lives on that Tuesday morning.

More than thousands came to help out at the Ground Zero site but they were mislead and ill-informed about lack of protection gear. For example, everybody including President Bush and Mayor Giuliani should have been wearing NASA suits like they did in the movie, E.T., when they came for the alien. The Ground Zero site was a burning, toxic site where the first responders were not warned about the actual conditions.

This book sites doctors, scientists, residents, and first responders as well as victims who would die from an illness connected directly with the dust that enveloped the city that day. While the first responders such as police, firemen, and volunteers deserve praise, honor, and valor for their selfless services, the politics and bureaucracy have made it difficult for some to claim for the illness whether physical, mental, etc. afterwards. There were deadlines, restrictions, and other obstacles for these heroes and heroines to face when they made their claims.

Nothing like this occurred at the Pentagon in Langley, Virginia even though the plane did crash into the building, steps taken there maintained a strict policy of enforcing safety ware for the responders at one of America's most important institutions. Why wasn't the same done for the World Trade Center site?

There are so many people to blame like Mayor Giuliani, Christie Whitman (head of the Environmental Protection Agency), Mayor Bloomberg and others as well. But it's too late now, even though the site has been cleaned up. Still after nearly ten years, there is still enough bickering about the memorial and new building plans. Enough is enough! They must all be cared for their selfless acts of heroism on that day and many days and months later September 11,2001.

i'm about halfway through this, and it seems like a supportive argument for sufferers of mesothelioma as a result of sifting through ground zero immediately after the attack. i'm not sure if there is an excuse for not mandating more stringent rules of wearing proper breathing apparatuses for the first responders. the author claims that it was deemed unpatriotic to wear a breathing mask; it was also a nuisance to breathing and communication. is it guiliani's fault? is it christine whitman's or the EPA's fault? the contractors unions? it's a very tough call to make, but those who have suffered and are suffering as a result of their cooperation to get NYC back on it's feet after this most tragic event certainly deserve the recognition that this author gives them. arguments are laid out and revisited over and again, and scant evidence and determinations are interspersed with bureaucratic arm-wrestling among scientists, agencies, departments and reporters. i agree it is an important work and give the author credit for the undertaking as we try to make sense of the event through the clouded remains. it also seems that the NYC gov't, in paying contractors by tonnage and time, rushed the process and didn't give enough consideration to the possibility of worker health endangerment. certainly there is a lesson to be learned here in crisis management.

September 11, 2001 is day most of us remember as one of the worst days of our lives, even if we were far away from New York City. Our country had been attacked and we saw the twin towers of the World Trade Center each collapse, with the horrifying knowledge that people were in those buildings. Who can forget the images on TV of people running through the streets trying to get away from a billowing dark cloud of... what? Who knew what was in it?.

But some people were heading right into that cloud because it was their job to go to the rescue, and others were stuck in that cloud because they couldn't get away fast enough or because they lived or worked near the towers. Dust settled over lower Manhattan, covering everything in the vicinity of the World Trade Center. This book is about that dust and what it did to people.

Mayor Giuliani, EPA Director Christy Todd Whitman and the Bush administration were eager to present a face of toughness and resilience to the outside world, to minimize the idea that America had been brought low by this deed. Their desire to have everyone think the rescue and cleanup could be done quickly, without further human toll, made them conceal or downplay any danger to the people who spent days, weeks, and months at the site in the aftermath of the attack.

The author introduces us to many different people in this book who made efforts to determine what the dangers might be from the dust and debris of the collapsed towers and to try to help protect those working there. Every material used in the construction, including a lot of acidic cement, and every item in the building had basically been pulverized and became part of the dust that continued to hang in the air and to coat the streets, cars, buildings and everything and everyone who remained near the debris pile.

Everyone working on that pile should have been wearing a respirator, but most didn't and the authorities who should have insisted, did not insist. These were "heroes" with a sacred mission and no one should tell them what to do. The respirators were heavy, hot and uncomfortable, but, what I found disturbing, was the attitude some took that it was somehow "unpatriotic" to wear one. Real men, apparently, don't wear respirators. I recently hired a handyman to do some work in my bathroom and when I saw he'd be using a sander, I went and got a dust mask. "Do you wear one of these?" I asked him. He replied, "No, those are for sissies and women." He was kidding of course, and I think he did finally wear the one I brought, but his fast response told me this attitude is widespread.

The author explains a host of health problems that developed as the years went by, from a persistent cough to acid reflux, and the difficulties of determining which problems could be traced to the dust. At times, the public felt many were falsely claiming their illness was caused by 9/11 in hopes of getting some money, while others, like Senator Hillary Clinton, went to bat for them, insisting the government should be providing hep. The book gives details of a number of interesting cases, including a young mother who had tried to leave her place of employment near the towers, but was unable to get away from the dust cloud on September 11. She developed a great many symptoms and finally just died one day as her husband brought her a cup of tea she had asked for. Another woman who had come to the site with her rescue dog developed symtoms too, as did her beloved dog who became so sick he had to be put down. Then there was the cop and his young wife who both died, leaving behind an infant, but was the man's death from exposure to the dust or was he a junkie, as later evidence suggested?

Some medical facilities developed programs to treat workers, but the government was slow to provide money to pay for treatment, concentrating instead on gathering data. I couldn't help but think how much better off these people would have been if the US were not the only industrialized country in the world without government-funded universal health care. Instead, people made ill because they had worked at the pile, lived near it, or had been unable to escape the cloud that day had to jump through hoops to get any help, and many brought lawsuits against the city. The suits were later combined and litigation went on for years until a settlement was reached in March of 2010. Lawsuits are a very expensive and ineffective way for anyone to get the care they need when they need it.

There's lots of information here about what happened to those exposed to the dust after 9/11, but I think the book wandered a bit, going from this story to that without a clear point, other than the central idea that things could have been handled better during the rescue and cleanup. It also makes the case that what most of those affected really wanted - some kind of certainty - was never a possibility. There never was an event like 9/11 and there never could be any definitive judgement about whose illness was certainly caused by their exposure to the dust. But here's my question: Why should anyone have to prove HOW they became ill in order to get the help they need?