Steve Penchina said he got violently ill from breathing acrid pollutants in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack, and had to cut back his work schedule as executive creative director at DCA Advertising, owned by the world's largest ad group, Dentsu of Japan.

Penchina said the WTC air problems were so bad he couldn't even visit clients or his creative crews in lower Manhattan without choking or losing his vision from severely burning eyes.