The 9-11 responders are now demanding money for their health problems, but why did they not wear respirators?

Question

I remember seeing firefighters, many wearing no breathing protection, and some wearing those cheap white paper masks, but none wearing a respirator that any woodworker or painter would wear while working. This might be excusable for the first day's response, but not for the months that those people worked there. Where was OSHA during that time?

I'm not saying that they people are faking. Not at all. I'm sure that many are sick. You're going to get sick if you inhale all that dust and smoke for weeks. It's like black lung disease.

Answer 1

OSHA was on scene, and was recommending that all personnel at the site where respirators. The problem is NY State has it's own OSHA progam for public sector employees. So while the Federal OSHA employees supervised the safety and health of all federal employees and private industry employees, they could do more than suggest that the paid and volunteer emergency services personnel comply.

Many people at Ground Zero skipped wearing the respirators because they are hot and slightly bulky. After the air samples were taken and the known toxins were found to be below current action levels most workers didn't want to be bothered. Private contractors complied because OSHA was there and so did federal employees, but most emergency workers didn't.

While everyone was concerned about mercury vapor, silica dust and asbestos fibers in the dust that covered all of the area, they let their guard down when the results showed low levels. But nobody thought the glass fibers, which comprised over 40% of the dust, would be a problem. As it turns out the glass fibers penetrate the lungs much more efficiently than asbestos fibers and have caused a lot of health issues.

I was at Ground Zero two days in the first week had HEPA and mercury filters on my respirator. Every time after the first week whether at Ground Zero or Pier 94 I wore a HEPA filter. N-95 dust masks were not sufficient to filter all of the fine dust particles.

OSHA wasn't at fault as much as the rescue and recovery workers' supervisors were for not enforcing the PPE rules established by OSHA for the employees under their jurisdiction. The HEPA filters got clogged quickly so people preferred wearing dust masks or nothing at all. Full face respirators got fogged up, and half face respirators kept sliiping off people's faces. The EPA tested for known hazards but nobody expected the risk of the unknown hazards.

There are a lot of factors involved in why people didn't wear the protection. But it basically comes down to the people who did were forced to, or because they took personal responsibilty for their own health.

Answer 2

Some of the firemen did wear respirators, but not many. I believe all they could think of were the safety of others. This whole 9/11 had to be a nightmare for all that tried to save others, only to get caught in the mayhem themselves. I'm sure there were a lot of confusion. The only thing any of the fireman, police & others were to pull as many safety no matter how it was done. These people are Heroes no other way to describe them! Now they are paying the price, after inhaling all of this debri & chemiclas, dust and whatever elso were there. They sacifriced all the had!

Answer 3

Here is your reason why....When you have to wear heavy equipment and run and carry people it is very strenuous. A respirator restricts the breathing too much and is more dangerous the wearing nothing at all. Besides they were not expecting to have "dust" because fire doesn't make concrete explode into dust. Another reason is that a steel building had never fallen due to fire before.

What you should be asking is Why did building 7 fall down when no plane hit it? Why did the steel "melt" when jet fuel burns at 1500 degrees and low grade steel melts at 2500 degrees? How can the building fall in on itself breaking all the way down in 6.5 sec when the speed of gravity at that height would take approx 6 sec?

Wake up infowars.com

Answer 4

I dont know where OSHA was. But just watch. Watch at how many people show up here to bash those firefighters and rescue workers saying they are only looking for a quick buck and are faking.
They probably wont say anything like that since i called them out first...but im certain you have read that kinda garbage around the net before.

Answer 5

Probably because everyone was so intent on clearing the rubble and looking for bodies, it just didn't occur to them. I don't know, I wasn't there. But the volunteer rescuers and all the first responders of 9/11 should be taken care of for the rest of their lives. I imagine it was a tough and terrible ordeal.

Answer 6

At the time no one new. These responders are now coming down with all kinds of lung diseases. Imagine breathing in the pink vapor which was blood and all other building material items.

Answer 7

First i might want to assert i'm a democrat and that i don't experience that giving tens of millions to those who have been doing their activity is acceptable the two. They knew while they pick their profession field that it got here with negative aspects. don't get me incorrect, i'm sympathetic and grateful to them for what they did. yet we will not start up giving funds to emergency reaction workers decrease than this difficulty. They have already got lots of the terrific scientific coverage presented. they are going to be nicely compensated for existence via their illnesses and injuries without taking tens of millions of tax paying funds on the realm.

Answer 8

Hmm, I never noticed what the firefighters were wearing as masks. I be too busy watching the fire.

Answer 9

I suspect, bogged down in the political quagmire that occurred after the event.

What agency would have said 'you are not allowed to help until precautions are taken?"

Answer 10

it is logical to define