Memos: NYC told Ground Zero air was unsafe

Article on cnn.com — Memos: NYC told Ground Zero air was unsafe:

    The city allowed people to return to Manhattan after the collapse of the World
    Trade Center towers even though officials were told the air was not yet safe,
    according to an internal memo from a New York City Health Department official.

    The October 6, 2001, memo states that the city Office of Emergency Management
    — called OEM — and the Department of Environmental Protection — referred to as
    DEP — disagreed over the air quality following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
    But it suggests commercial interests trumped safety concerns.

    Kelly McKinney, associate commissioner of the health department, wrote that the
    mayor’s office was under pressure from building owners and business owners to open
    more of the “red zone.”