NEW YORK, NY September 08, 2006 —Hundreds of angry Lower Manhattan residents and others gathered last night to talk about their health problems with experts, officials and politicians.

REPORTER: The crowd filled up St. Paul’s Chapel, where recovery and cleanup workers rested from toiling a block away at the World Trade Center five years ago. Congress members Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney got cheers for condemning federal officials and demanding more money. Sympathetic health experts were warmly greeted. And after two hours, the residents got their chance to speak.

RESIDENT: September 11th was just the beginning. I still have chest pains, I still can’t breathe. Our kids have asthma, I’m having breathing problems, and the only thing we were told was to go back to work.

REPORTER: The U.S. Health Department’s point man on 9/11 Health, Dr. John Howard, sat and listened to the comments, and was the final speaker. He also expressed sympathy, but was careful not to say how much support local residents can expect from Washington.

HOWARD: There is no doubt that there are going to be continuous resource issues we are all going to have to work through…that will be with us for many years.

REPORTER: Howard will speak again today at a Congressional hearing at the headquarters of DC37, one of the city’s most powerful unions. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.