A whistleblower in the EPA who had been fired for exposing the dangers of toxic Ground Zero dust in the days after 9/11 was reinstated to her job, with back pay, by a federal court today.

EPA chemist Dr. Cate Jenkins, who had worked for the agency for more than 30 years, was the first official to sound the alarm on the dangers dust posed to firefighters and First Responders. But the EPA head at the time claimed there was no health hazard.

Abrahm Lustgarten reported in 2003 that "for months after the attacks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency insisted that the dust contained few contaminants and posed little health risk to anyone but those caught in the initial plume from the towers’ collapse." Lustgarten wrote that Christine Todd Whitman, then the Bush administration’s EPA chief, told PBS “NewsHour": “Everything we’ve tested for, which includes asbestos, lead, and volatile organic compounds, have been below any level of concern for the general public health.”

Jenkins accused the EPA of deliberately downplaying the risks of exposure to the dust and brought her concerns to Congress.

She was later fired over accusations she, a petite polio survivor, had physically threatened her male, 6-foot tall supervisor.

“What happened to Dr. Jenkins was a crude railroading of a dedicated public servant. It is refreshing to see justice done by her,” stated PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) Senior Counsel Paula Dinerstein, who led Dr. Jenkins’ legal team. “Returning Dr. Jenkins to her position is just a start. We intend to hold responsible officials accountable and ask EPA to look very closely at this case with an eye toward preventing any more travesties like this.”

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Suzanne Goldenberg writing for The Guardian:

EPA scientist who warned of caustic dust from Ground Zero wins job back

A government scientist sacked for exposing the dangers to firefighters from the caustic air at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11 got her job back on Monday. A federal court ordered that Cate Jenkins, a chemist at the Environmental Protection Agency, be reinstated to her job with back pay. Her lawyer said the decision, although based on matters of legal process, amounted to vindication for Jenkins's claims that the EPA had covered up the danger posed to first responders and others in lower Manhattan from the asbestos and highly corrosive dust that rose from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. It was also a rare victory for whistleblowers, said lawyer Paula Dinerstein. "This doesn't happen that often." Jenkins, who has spent more than 30 years at the EPA, was the first agency official to warn of the dangers of the caustic dust rising from the ruins of the World Trade Center. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Never Miss a Beat. Get our best delivered to your inbox.





The dust, which had dangerously high Ph levels, was so corrosive it caused chemical burns to the lungs of firefighters and other rescue teams. Hundreds of workers spent weeks at the scene without protective gear such as respirators. Subsequent research has shown as many as two-thirds suffered permanent lung damage. Medical experts now believe much of the health effects could have been prevented if workers were issued proper safety gear.

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PEER: Crusading EPA Scientist Returned to Work — Her Termination Thrown Out due to Constitutional Violations by Agency