Long Islanders are weighing in after the woman who said the air around Ground Zero was safe to breathe stood by her word.Christie Todd Whitman, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, testified Monday at a congressional hearing on the air quality following the attacks on the World Trade Center. She insisted that while she said ''the air is safe to breathe,'' that the comment was meant for people living near Ground Zero and not those working at the site. Whitman maintains she urged rescue workers to wear masks. Some Long Islanders were outraged at what they consider playing with words. One resident told News 12 Long Island that Whitman should personally be held responsible for those that are sick from the air. Another resident said he feels sorry for her since she probably did not have all of the information she needed to make statements on the air quality.A recent study of Ground Zero workers found that 70 percent suffered from respiratory illnesses.