Toxic Dust Storm CloudThere is something unique to New York City that could, in my opinion, explain why Covid has been deadlier in the “big apple” For this article, poverty, lack of medical insurance, insufficient medical care, along with poor nutrition are not the focus. These are issues that are nationwide in the US. And Canada. Worse in some place then others of course, but, New York has health issues that are widespread, specific to location and incident.Therefore, I’m going to focus on toxic air pollution, mass, already existing lung/respiratory damage and the age of the population exposed to those toxins as being the factors in the casualty counts from Covid.First hattip to E Micheal Jones who jogged my memory and sent me searching for information. Nearly 20 years ago... a cloud of smoke so massive, so toxic enveloped New York City. Afterwards there were reports about the health fall out. But they've gone down the memory hole. If you like the show can be found here We already understand that those more severely affected by Covid already have multiple existing/underlying diseases.Known as comorbidities "the simultaneous presence of two chronic diseases or conditions in a patient"The CDC- People at higher risk
* People 65 years and older * People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility (this is an environmental factor as well as a health factor)-People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including: *People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma *People who have serious heart conditions *People who are immunocompromised Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications * People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher) *People with diabetes *People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis *People with liver disease
Massive Toxic PlumeNewYorkers, Exposed To the Massive Toxic Plume Would Be Higher Risk IndividualsToxins filled the air when the Trade Center towers came down- This would be undeniable. The article below covers a study is focused on the nearly 10,000 firefighters who were exposed, it is very clear that all persons exposed to toxic chemicals, fine particles and smoke for the many months the trade towers smoldered would be adversely affected
Researchers say the results, published by NYU School of Medicine researchers in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research online Sept. 4, could lead to metabolic tests for early detection of lung damage in all disaster victims exposed to fine particles from fire, smoke, and toxic chemicals, not just 9/11 firefighters.The study, researchers say, offers the first evidence that metabolite blood tests conducted within months of the disaster could still help in the detection of obstructive airway disease, or OAD. She says the WTC dust was laden with dangerous heavy metals, such as chromium and mercury, in addition to powdered concrete and toxic fibrous glass, asbestos, and components of jet fuel.
The researchers examined the FEV1 of 12,781 firefighters and EMS workers for whom data were available before and several years after 9/11; every 12–18 months the personnel of these corps undergo routine health assessments that include this measurement. FEV1 refers to the maximum volume of air that can be blown out in 1 second; it is one of the primary markers of lung function. “The massive dust concentrations to which these people were acutely exposed has produced significant reduction in lung function, predominantly due to airway inflammation resulting in obstructive airways disease—asthma, chronic bronchitis, bronchiolitis,” explains Prezant. “For many, the lungs seem unable to recover from the inflammation caused.”
All these exposed individuals with significant reduction in lung function, asthma, chronic bronchitis, inflamed lungs would now be nearly 20 years older. And very likely chronically ill.Christine Whitman- Safe to breathe the witches brew? She lied
- 2016: What We Know About How 9/11 Has Affected New Yorkers’ Health, 15 Years Later
Within days of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, then EPA chief Christine Whitman infamously encouraged New Yorkers to head back to Lower Manhattan. “The good news continues to be that air samples we have taken have all been at levels that cause us no concern,” she told reporters. A week later, she again assured the public that the air was “safe to breathe and their water is safe to drink.” Her claims were echoed by then New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani who, in his apparent eagerness to get the Financial District up and running again, told everyone “to go back to normal.”
Firefighters Bathed in Toxic Dust"Go back to normal" VS "The New Normal" Interesting how different memes serve different masters?
"When the towers came down…they released a massive plume of carcinogens, turning lower Manhattan into a cesspool of cancer and deadly disease. “We will never know the composition of that cloud, because the wind carried it away, but people were breathing and eating it,” [said the World Trade Center Health Program’s Dr. Michael Crane]. “What we do know is that it had all kinds of god-awful things in it. Burning jet fuel. Plastics, metal, fiberglass, asbestos. It was thick, terrible stuff. A witch’s brew.”
Because the fires burned at Ground Zero for more than 90 days, a later study explained that the contaminants found in the dust immediately after the attacks continued to show up in samples for weeks. According to the Centers for Disease Control, roughly 400,000 people — including “rescue and recovery workers, residents, students and school staff, building occupants, and passersby” — were exposed to “the immense cloud of dust and debris, the indoor dust, the fumes from persistent fires, and the mental trauma” of the Twin Towers’ collapse. As of June 2016, only 74,968 were enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. (The program, established by the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2011, provides federally funded monitoring and treatment of health problems stemming from 9/11.) 56,580 of enrollees were FDNY or other responders — people who, at this point, know quite well that they are at risk of falling ill.
Roughly 400,000 people from all walks of life were exposed, for months, to that witches brew. Could anyone have really believed that would not have caused substantive long term harm? Particularly when a virus that specifically causes respiratory distress comes calling?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious respiratory infections like bronchitis, pneumonia or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The Toxic Apple Seeds Bear Fruit
“Unfortunately, the worst is probably yet to come. As former NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley pointed out during the 2012 battle to make funds from the James Zadroga Act available for cancer treatment, “Cancers take 20 years to develop…and we might see something different 20 years down the line”
So, here we are. Nearly 20 years down the line... Ground Zero for toxic dust. Ground Zero for Covid- It’s impossible to believe there is no connection!
Perez is one of the thousands fighting deadly diseases as a result of exposure to Ground Zero. Doctors with the World Trade Center Health Program, which the federal government created in the aftermath of the attacks, have linked nearly 70 types of cancer to Ground Zero. Many people have fallen victim to cancers their doctors say are rare, aggressive and particularly hard to treat. "The diseases stemming from the World Trade Center attacks include almost all lung diseases, almost all cancers—such as issues of the upper airways, gastroesophageal acid reflux disease, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, panic and adjustment disorders,"
Image from huffington postAdditional images and readinghere and hereDust Cloud Pregnancies To conclude:It is not possible that this type of mass exposure is not playing out today in New York City's Corona virus crisis. It is unimaginable to me that no connection exists between at least half a million compromised individuals and a respiratory virus hitting that city and it's citizens more severely then elsewhere.NY Magazine- Toxic Dust Covering BananasT2: What Was in the Cloud- Major Minerals 1. Calcium sulfate (gypsum) 2. Calcium carbonate (calcite) 3. Quartz 4. Portlandite Major Elements 1. Silicon 2. Calcium 3. Magnesium 4. Sulfur 5. Iron 6. Aluminum 7. Carbon 8. Sodium 9. Potassium 10. Titanium 11. Manganese 12. PhosphorusMajor Fiber 1. Synthetic vitreous fibers (fiberglass and slag wool)Trace Minerals 1. Mica 2. Halite Trace Fiber 1. Amphibole asbestosTrace Elements 1. Barium 2. Zinc 3. Lead 4. Copper 5. Strontium 6. Cerium 7. Chromium 8. Nickel 9. Vanadium 10. Lithium 11. Rubidium cobalt 12. Cadmium 13. Arsenic 14. Gallium 15. Beryllium 16. Silver 17. Cesium 18. Bismuth 19. Thallium
