The Freedom Tower

The murky waters surrounding the effects airborne toxins swirling in lower Manhattan and nearby communities for months after the collapse of the Twin Towers just got murkier.
Just who qualifies as a victim of  the 9/11 attacks fell to a new low recently when the New York City medical examiner refused to look into the death of a city police officer who worked for hours clearing debris at Ground Zero. Dr. Charles Hirsch refused to look into the death of police officer James Godbee who died of lung disease complications. The ME refused to consider the case because the police officer was not at Ground Zero on the day of the attacks. Hirsch said Godbee’s death would be deemed caused by natural causes, not toxins he was exposed to 48 hours after the twin towers fell.
The police officer arrived at Ground Zero on Sept. 13. He died of a heart attack in December 2004. A city medical examiner ruled the heart attack was caused by disease that causes scaring of the lungs and other organs. Doctors at Beth Israel Medical Center say Godbee’s exposure to the toxic dust at Ground Zero “either caused or aggravated his condition and “ultimately caused his death,” according to story in the New York Daily News. Hirsch said the deaths of 9/11 victims were deemed homicides or accidents. He said Godbee’s death could not be classified this way despite his exposure to toxins after 9/11.
The New York State Police chief forensic pathologist disagrees.
“If a person who inhaled the dust on 9/11 is deemed to be a homicide victim, then this person who inhaled the same dust caused by the same criminal act two days later has to be classified the same say,” Dr. Michael Baden was quoted as saying in a Daily News story. ‘What’s the cutoof? “Is the cutoff 12:01 a.m. at 9/12?” Baden asked.