This Day in History: 2001-09-11

Terrorist attack kills nearly 3,000 people on this day in 2001 in New York city and spews a plume of ash and dust into the air. Officials tell New Yorkers not to worry about the toxic aftermath. “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,” said EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman a few days after the attacks. EPA scientists like Cate Jenkins  objected to that assessment but were silenced or fired. Jenkins was eventually fired but then reinstated after after a whistleblower investigation.  By 2004 it was clear that a 911 was in fact an environmental disaster as well as a terrorist attack, and in the years since, survivors of the attack have experienced severe physical and mental health issues.