The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 135

Sunk costs for a sunken memorial.

Bloomberg this week suggested dropping plans for the underground museum as well as a visitors center - and putting the exhibition space and visitor services in the lobby of the planned 1,776-foot Freedom Tower.

Bloomberg's proposal is on the table, John Whitehead, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and WTC Memorial Foundation's outgoing chairman, said yesterday.

Using the skyscraper is "one of the options that we will be considering now," Whitehead said.

To undo any underground elements would remove a source of great concern for some 9/11 family members, historic preservation groups and safety experts.

Many have argued that the underground design would harm the historic remnants of the twin towers - and could even trap visitors in the event of a terror attack or fire.

Meanwhile, federal and state environmental protection agencies are calling for a halt in the deconstruction of the Deutsche Bank building. That building has been the focus of controversy for quite some time now because of the ongoing discovery of human remains as the site was being prepared for deconstruction.

An inspector from the Environmental Protection Agency witnessed the removal yesterday of debris from the building that had not been properly cleaned, said Mary Mears, a spokeswoman for the agency.

"This was certainly not the first time," she said. "Now that it appears to be a pattern, we feel compelled to ask them to stop work until we can fix the problem in general."

Deconstruction of the 41-story former bank tower at 130 Liberty Street is not set to begin until next month. The current work involves abatement of asbestos and other hazardous substances.

Besides the federal agency, the state's Department of Labor and the city's Department of Environmental Protection are monitoring the project.

The NY Times reports that new studies show that people working at Ground Zero after the collapse of the towers may have higher rates of lung ailments. The use of various masks may have lessened the likelyhood of getting sick, but was no guarantee.