Barasch & McGarry Recognizes Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month.

There were nearly half a million first responders and survivors working, living, and studying in Lower Manhattan on and after 9/11 who have a higher risk of developing respiratory illness and 68 different types of cancer linked to the WTC toxins, including thyroid cancer.

Barasch & McGarry represents nearly 800 9/11 community members who have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 43,800 Americans will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2022 – almost three-fourths of them women.

The risk factors for thyroid cancer include gender (more common in women), age (women in their forties and fifties, men in their sixties and seventies), family history, high body mass, and exposure to radiation or toxic chemicals such as Ground Zero toxins.

People with a high risk of thyroid cancer should share this information with their primary health care provider and stay alert to the symptoms. Early detection could substantially improve the likelihood of survival.

Common symptoms include a lump in the neck, swelling in the neck, pain in the front of the neck, hoarseness or other voice changes that persist, trouble swallowing, trouble breathing, and a constant cough.

If you are diagnosed with thyroid cancer or any other 9/11-related cancers or respiratory illnesses, we can help you access resources through the free World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). 

The health program provides free, comprehensive medical care to 9/11 victims for their 9/11-related illnesses. The fund offers tax-free awards for pain and suffering, lost earnings, and benefits for surviving spouses and family members.

For the WTC Health Program, the exposure zone includes all of Manhattan below Houston Street and parts of Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO in Brooklyn.

For the 9/11 VCF, the exposure zone includes the area of Manhattan south of Canal Street and west of Clinton Street.

Barasch & McGarry, Lawyers for the 9/11 Community, represents more than 30,000 members of the 9/11 community.

If you were exposed to Ground Zero toxins which increase the risk of developing 68 types of cancer and many respiratory illnesses, you should know your health status. 

Protect yourself by visiting a primary care provider regularly and reporting any problems that could indicate multiple myeloma. Don’t let a delayed diagnosis become a death sentence.

If you are diagnosed with multiple myeloma or any of the other cancers or respiratory diseases impacting the 9/11 community, please contact us to access health care and compensation. 

Visit 911victims.com or call 212-385-8000 today.