“The Legacy and Lessons of Ground Zero”

May 22, 2011

While the nation still mourns the victims who died nearly 10 years ago in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, countless other people continue to suffer illnesses resulting from the collapse of two of the largest buildings on Earth. This lingering tragedy stems from some of the critical decisions that were made in the chaotic aftermath of the event, according to City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11, the latest book by Hoboken-born author Anthony DePalma, former foreign correspondent and environmental reporter for the New York Times.

In the book, DePalma describes the intensity of Ground Zero and the vortex of dust that confounded scientists and destroyed public trust. “It was the nightmare scenario of one of the busiest and most crowded places on Earth being exposed to an unprecedented mix of known and suspected hazards,” says DePalma, who is a writer in residence and teacher at Seton Hall University, and continues to contribute to the New York Times.