WTC Health Program

Firefighters risk their lives daily to help save others from danger. They bravely run into harm’s way while others flee in the opposite direction. This selfless act defines their profession. Another part of the profession — that often isn’t so obvious — is their risk of developing mesothelioma. Almost all buildings — both residential and […]

February is National Cancer Prevention Month. The half a million people exposed to Ground Zero toxins after 9/11 have a dramatically higher risk of developing respiratory illnesses and cancer. The World Trade Center Health Program has linked 68 different types of cancer and a host of respiratory illnesses to the 9/11 toxins, no matter your […]

Today, February 8, 2022, would have been NYPD Detective James Zadroga’s 51st birthday. A native of Arlington, New Jersey, and Barasch & McGarry client, Detective Zadroga was a 9/11 first responder whose premature death demonstrated that the air near Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan was toxic. His illness provided crucial evidence linking Ground Zero toxins […]

Dennis Smith, a longtime New York City firefighter and bestselling author, passed away on January 21. He was 81. Raised on the East Side of Manhattan, Smith joined the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in 1963, when he was assigned to Engine Company 292 in Queens. In 1966, Smith was transferred to the busiest […]

January is National Thyroid Awareness Month. The half a million first responders and survivors who were exposed to Ground Zero toxins after 9/11 all have a dramatically higher risk of 68 different types of cancer, including thyroid cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 43,800 new cases of thyroid cancer (11,860 in men […]

Twenty years after 9/11, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still refuses to update its regulation of corrosive alkaline dust, according to a lawsuit filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Often released during building demolition and cement mixing, alkaline dust at high concentrations could result in chemical burns, particularly to the respiratory system. The […]