(no subject)

[momsalive1]

I heard a story today about some of the health effects on the people involved in the ground zero clean up. In the immediate aftermath, people thought to wear respirators, but once the smoke cleared it didn't seem to be a priority. It took months to load all the debris out, get it to the staging area at the where they could sort it, and then go through it more or less piece by piece. The fine dust that covered everything, and that they inhaled all day, was pulverized glass, metal and concrete. Some of those workers will never work or breath right again.

Comments

[ffiondove.livejournal.com]

That's just one thing that isn't obvious when something like this happens, I dare say the same people also have to struggle with the trauma of coming across personal items that belonged to the victims, so they have lost their physical and mental health......it's neverending.

[momsalive1]

I know I couldn't handle regular rescue work and I admire people who can work in an emergency room or at disasters. But I can *imagine* myself being able to do that, if I had more of...something, I don't know what, I would be able to respond effectively to one or a few mangled bodies at a time. What I can't imagine is how those workers dealt with the bodies on that scale and in that condition.

I have some confidence that the physical health of these people will be attended to, but not the mental health. We do a poor job here of handling mental health costs - typically insurance doesn't cover the same percentage of the cost of a doctors visit if its a psychiatrist, the co-payments for visits to a counselor are high, and often limited to a 10-20 sessions. The trama these people went through will scar them for life, and I worry that they won't get the treatment they need.

[bridgewalker.livejournal.com]

But I'd wager not a one of them would change the way they helped out if they could go back and do it again. Restores my faith in humans, even tho it proves the old adage: "No good deed goes unpunished."

Thanks, luv!

[whitewizzy.livejournal.com]

I have never thought of that, but it sounds obvious now that we know.
Poor people-

[momsalive1]

As always, your icon is perfect for the topic....