From Retired Firefighters to Former High School Students, 9/11 Cancer Victims Continue to Emerge

February 2, 2018 was a particularly sad day for the FDNY. As reported in the New York Daily News, “Retired Firefighter Ronald Svec, 63, died after a nine-year battle with lung and spine cancer he contracted after his time toiling at Ground Zero.” Ret. Lt. Edward Meehan, 53, also died that day, the fifth FDNY member to succumb to a 9/11-related illness already this year.

As if the health crisis and deaths among first responders were not enough, we are increasingly hearing from former high school students who have developed a plethora of 9/11-related health conditions including chronic asthma, gastritis, and even cancer. Stuyvesant High School, located at 45 Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan, less than half a mile from Ground Zero, is now a focus of community outreach to encourage former students to register for the World Trade Center Health Program and seek compensation through the Victim Compensation Fund.

At a recent rally, former Stuyvesant students spoke of returning after the attacks to a building that had not been adequately cleaned. Tal Beery was a senior at Stuyvesant High School on the day of the attack. Now in his early 30s, he has been diagnosed with asthma. He recalls that “the air was so thick it was almost suffocating.” Shoshana Dornhelm, a sophomore at the time, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2016 and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy. As for the dust that lingered for months after the attack, attorney Michael Barasch said, “The ph level…was the same as Drano. That’s what everybody was inhaling.”

At Barasch & McGarry, we represent numerous former high school students and teachers who have developed 9/11 health conditions, including at least 10 individuals with cancer. We know that many more Lower Manhattan residents, students and workers are suffering but have not sought assistance through the World Trade Center Health Program. As Michael Barasch explained at the Stuyvesant rally, “People don’t believe that their illness in any way could be caused by an event, an exposure 16 years ago.”

Our firm is determined to continue our efforts of community outreach to help cancer sufferers make the connection between their illness and toxic exposure from 9/11. If you were in the contamination zone from the date of the attack, September 11, 2001, to May 30, 2002, you may be eligible for free health screenings and monetary compensation for your illness.

Barasch & McGarry helps responders and others affected by 9/11 illnesses get the benefits they deserve. For a free consultation with a lawyer who understands your situation and the law, please contact us online or call [ln::phone].