A new EPA report says that Whitman, who resigned earlier this summer, told New Yorkers that the air was safe before testing was conclusive, according to the magazine.

The EPA report also claimed that she allowed the White House to edit her agency's reports, Newsweek said.

"We didn't want to scare people," Whitman said, explaining why she didn't object when the White House deleted the EPA's warnings on New York's air quality.

"We were not told to lie," she said, insisting that the public was not harmed by the White House's milder assessments.

Emergency workers suffering health problems after the attacks blame the EPA for not alerting them to the health risks, but Whitman told the magazine that many refused to wear protective gear because they thought it was too cumbersome.

TERRA.WIRE