Toxic Poisoning Fears at Ground Zero

Up to 750 firefighters working in the wreckage of the World Trade Centre in New York have taken sick leave with suspected toxic poisoning, according to reports in the US press today.

Many buildings ruined or damaged in the September 11 attacks contained lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (commonly referred to as PCBs), and asbestos, and there are fears that the dust from those buildings could have released dangerous levels of the toxins into the air around lower Manhattan.

One in four firefighters working at Ground Zero now have "World Trade Centre cough" or another respiratory complaint, fire department officials told USA Today.

Eight non-fire department staff working at the site were also found to have elevated levels of mercury in their blood.

New Yorkers have increasingly complained of tightness in their chests, sinus infections and bloody noses since the attacks.

On one day in the weeks following the attacks, the level of benzene, which can cause leukaemia and bone marrow damage with prolonged exposure, was measured at 58 times the official safety levels.

The US environmental protection agency is under fire from local politicians and health officials over failing to inform the public of the long-term risks from the toxins.

The agency insists that the air in lower Manhattan is not dangerous, except for low levels of asbestos in the restricted zone within a block of where the twin towers once stood.