2007年VOA标准英语-Growing Numbers of 9/11 Workers Have Illnesses

By Carolyn Weaver¹
New York City
10 September 2007
 

toxic2 dust" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070914/0957040.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Toxic dust clouds resulted from the collapse3 of the World Trade Center buildings

About 3,000 people died in the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. Six years later, experts say the attacks continue to devastate⁴ and even end lives. Among the casualties are many workers and volunteers who were exposed to the toxic smoke and dust of Ground Zero, where the World Trade Centers collapsed⁵. Hundreds of firefighters, police, clean-up and recovery workers, and volunteers suffer serious health problems, both physical and emotional, or are disabled. VOA's Carolyn Weaver has a report.

Three people: a grief counselor⁶, a disabled ironworker, and a former paramedic -- have joined together to advocate for fellow veterans of Ground Zero. They say they all suffered health effects from working at the site.

apparatus7" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070914/0957041.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Marvin Bethea says he was injured as a result of working at Ground Zero without a breathing apparatus

Marvin Bethea was on duty as a paramedic when the towers collapsed. "Think of someone taking a big bucket of toxic dirt and just dumping it down your throat. Not only could you not see, you could not breathe at all. I was covered from head to toe, and we were literally⁸ blowing out small pieces of concrete out of our nose. I sound very nasally -- all of this is burnt up inside."

Bethea suffered a massive stroke the following month, and is now retired⁹ on disability.

His friend John Sferazo was on the pile as an ironworker for about 30 days. "As you spent more and more time there, it almost felt as if someone was sitting on your lungs, and every time you get a lung infection, that is what it feels like. And you developed what was called a 'World Trade Center cough'."

John Sferazo says he developed lung infections and a cough as a result of working in polluted air

Millions of pounds of plastics, heavy metals, glass and concrete were pulverized¹⁰ or burned in the World Trade Center's collapse, creating highly toxic smoke and dust. But soon after the disaster, officials said the air at Ground Zero was safe. Workers at the site were not given respirators, or even required to wear masks.

"Masks were not given out until several days later," says Sferazo. "And the problem with wearing a mask was that once masks were given out, we were already told maybe a day or two into wearing them, by our elected officials, that the air quality was safe to breathe and the water was safe to drink."

"Everyone on that site should have been fit-tested and wearing a respirator,” says Dr. Jacqueline Moline, “and if they could not wear it 100 percent of the time, they should have been wearing it 95 percent of the time."

Dr. Jacqueline Moline says the air at Ground Zero was never safe

Dr. Moline is director of the Mount Sinai Hospital program that currently treats 6,300 Ground Zero workers and volunteers.  She says the air was never safe on the pile and problems now range from lung scarring and infections to ulcers¹¹ and damage to the esophagus. "There have been some people who have died as a result of World Trade Center exposures. There have been a number of cases of individuals who have had such severe scarring lung disease that it's caused their death. I think over time there are other diseases that may emerge that will prove to be life threatening."

She notes that depression and post-traumatic stress disorder¹² (PTSD) are common psychological ailments¹³ in many Ground Zero workers. Both Bethea and Sferazo say they still suffer from it.

Bethea explains, "I cried every day for about 40 days. I was healthy, I was an athlete, I lost 16 people I knew that day."

Sferazo describes his experience. "You heard helicopters, you heard these jets, you are finding pieces of human beings everywhere. Does anyone really think that we thought about our health and safety?"

A recent federal report found that the cost of treating Ground Zero workers could exceed $300 million a year. That is far more than the amount allotted¹⁴ by the federal government thus far to deal with the problem.  Experts estimates that as many as 20,000 workers and volunteers may need care eventually. 

The three advocates -- Bethea, Sferazo and grief counselor Julie Hernandez have formed an organization called "Unsung Heroes Helping¹⁵ Heroes." 

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

3 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

4 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

7 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

10 pulverized   

adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎

参考例句：

• We pulverized the opposition. 我们彻底击败了对手。
• He pulverized the opposition with the force of his oratory. 他能言善辩把对方驳得体无完肤。 来自辞典例句

11 ulcers   

n.溃疡( ulcer的名词复数 )；腐烂物；道德败坏；腐败

参考例句：

• Detachment of the dead cells produces erosions and ulcers. 死亡细胞的脱落，产生糜烂和溃疡。 来自辞典例句
• 75% of postbulbar ulcers occur proximal to the duodenal papilla. 75％的球后溃疡发生在十二指肠乳头近侧。 来自辞典例句

12 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

13 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

14 allotted   

分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I completed the test within the time allotted . 我在限定的时间内完成了试验。
• Each passenger slept on the berth allotted to him. 每个旅客都睡在分配给他的铺位上。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。