Colorado State Environmental Team Returns from New York Site and Offers Account of Life at Ground Zero

A Colorado State University team of seven environmental health experts, who spent a week at Ground Zero in New York City to monitor air quality and safety, will give a presentation from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 3 in the North Ballroom of the Lory Student Center at the university. Reservations are not necessary.

"A Walking Tour of Ground Zero" is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted to benefit two groups: the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams who offered medical assistance to injured animals at the site as well as care and support to search and rescue dogs; and to the Student Chapter of the Rocky Mountain division of the American Industrial Hygienists Association.

The presentation includes photos, slides and first-person accounts of the sights, sounds and scope of what has become known as "Ground Zero" in New York City.

"We spent a week in New York, working 12 hours a day at the former site of the World Trade Center. It left each one of us deeply affected," said team leader Del Sandfort, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health. "We all thought we were prepared, having watched the televised reports, read newspapers and listened to radio. We thought we knew what to expect, but nothing-nothing-prepared us for the reality of what we saw."

The team has responded to numerous requests for information by putting together a 45-minute presentation of photos, slides, maps and commentary on the current situation.

The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period. The North Ballroom meeting space has been donated by the Lory Student Center.