New York ? A federal judge blasted former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman on Thursday for reassuring New Yorkers soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that it was safe to return to their homes and offices while toxic dust was polluting the neighborhood.

U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts refused to grant Whitman immunity against a class-action lawsuit brought in 2004 by residents, students and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn who said they were exposed to hazardous materials from the destruction of the World Trade Center.

She called Whitman’s actions “conscience-shocking,” saying the EPA chief knew the collapse of the twin towers released tons of hazardous materials into the air.

Whitman had no comment, according to a spokeswoman.