And It Only Took Five Years! EPA To Test Lower Manhattan Dust Beyond Ground Zero

The Environmental Protection Agency will begin to test homes and businesses in lower Manhattan for hazardous air and dust, despite renewed criticism of the plan from lawmakers and community leaders.

The $7 million program, described by the EPA yesterday as "the final phase" of its response to the 9/11 terror attacks, will get underway next month. Residents and owners of buildings south of Canal St. and west of Allen and Pike Sts. may request an inspection of their properties and a cleanup if high levels of certain poisons are detected.

"We hope the program will provide peace of mind to people who live and work in lower Manhattan," EPA Regional Administrator Alan Steinberg said. George Gray, the EPA's assistant administrator for research and development, said the potential for exposure to lingering dust from the World Trade Center's collapse was low.

The EPA's decision to go forward, three years after the agency finished testing and cleaning 4,167 downtown apartments, was part of a long-running debate over how extensive its next effort should be.

EDIT

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/477928p-402077c.html

I saw him say it right on my tv. Which makes him a lying sack of crap.