Recent Blog Posts

With the 2011 signing of the Zadroga Act, the entire 9/11 community could access free health care and compensation for Ground Zero-related health conditions – thanks to the selfless collective action and community-based involvement of 9/11 first responders and survivors.  By November 2018, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) had approved more than $4.5 billion […]

Health Effects of 9/11, launched by the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, will raise awareness about the continuing health risks for 9/11 first responders and survivors who were exposed to Ground Zero toxins. The exhibition, developed by the WTC Health Program in partnership with the David J. Sencer Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Museum, […]

In late May, four former FDNY firefighters passed away of 9/11-related illnesses within four days – demonstrating that more than 20 years after the terrorist attacks, the toxic dust is still claiming the lives of 9/11 first responders and survivors. The former FDNY members who passed away – Michael Verzi, Robert Reynolds, Vincent Mandala and […]

After NYPD Detective James Zadroga passed away in 2006, the campaign to secure health care and compensation for people sick from exposure to Ground Zero toxins continued to build. A Barasch & McGarry client and Detectives Endowment Association (DEA) member, Zadroga’s passing demonstrated that – despite claims by government officials – the air near Ground […]

Clinton R. traveled more than 1,200 miles to support New York City’s recovery after 9/11. A firefighter with the Central Platte Fire Protection District in Missouri, Clinton wanted to contribute his experience as an emergency responder. He joined thousands of other responders from across the United States – volunteers who went to Ground Zero to […]

There were more than 100,000 union first responders who deployed to Lower Manhattan on and after 9/11, working tirelessly for weeks and then months on search-and-rescue and recovery operations. At the time, government officials claimed the air near Ground Zero was safe to breathe. Yet within weeks, many responders had developed “World Trade Center cough” […]