The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 169

The Port Authority is scheduled to vote on the conceptual agreements outlining the rebuilding at Ground Zero. Til now, the agreements were verbal commitments. The PA vote would put teeth into those commitments and push the rebuilding process forward.

However, things aren't all rosy. Pataki's disappointed in PA Chairman Coscia's refusal to situate Port Authority offices in the Freedom Tower. Figures.

The Post reports that the Port Authority is engaging in outreach with many of the companies that once called the WTC home, and some do not object to moving into the Freedom Tower.

"We're not certain how our staff would react, but we would definitely consider returning there," said Dave Hannaford, CFO of Mancini Duffy, an architectural and design firm that once had 25,000 square feet of space in the south tower and is now at Union Square.

"We were one of the original tenants of the World Trade Center," Hannaford said.

"It was an address recognized around the world - and it had prestige. I would hope that the Port Authority reaches out to the former tenants before they begin leasing the space."

PA spokesman Steve Coleman said that outreach has already begun.

Meanwhile, a coroner's guide has been released to help medical examiners look for symptoms and findings that can be attributed to time spent at Ground Zero, including asbestos, concrete dust, bone fragments, and other debris.

The federal government is in the process of drafting guidelines for dealing with the health crises faced by Ground Zero workers. The Daily News has more, including the fact that there was insufficient data:

The problem, the draft says, is there are not enough scientific studies - or autopsies of dead people - to make strong links.

"Data does not yet exist to quantify relationships between WTC exposures and diseases causing death," says the 23-page draft released yesterday.

The Daily News has exhaustively chronicled the plight of the ailing heroes of 9/11, and a recent study by the Mount Sinai Medical Center found that up to 70% of Ground Zero responders suffered health problems.

A spokesman for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health emphasized the document was released to get feedback, and could change.

Many of those who toiled at Ground Zero for months on end were in good health before their service at Ground Zero, but now are suffering from a range of ailments, particularly respiratory problems. James Zadroga's parents are not amused by the fact that one of the authors of this draft was New York City's top medical official, Dr. Stephen Friedman, who challenged that link made by the doctor who autopsied James after he died in New Jersey. (Earlier coverage here and here.)

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center, spitzer, silverstein, mount sinai, respiratory ailment, wtc cough, bloomberg.