Recent Blog Posts

The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines flight 93, the deadliest ever carried out on U.S. soil, took the lives of 2,977 people. Now, nearly 20 years later, the number of people who have died of 9/11-related illnesses exceeds the number killed on that tragic day. An article […]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation reauthorizing the September 11th Workers Protection Task Force through 2025, amid calls for stronger efforts to protect World Trade Center first responders during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. First assembled in 2005, the task force’s original mandate was to study and track the health problems suffered by […]

The Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), a critical financial support mechanism for 9/11 heroes, has gained even more importance as the coronavirus ravages survivors and responders. Families who lose a member due to COVID-19 are eligible to be part of the compensation fund as long as a qualifying 9/11-related illness is listed in the […]

In the aftermath of September 11, some New Yorkers wore masks as worry began to spread about the dust hanging in the air in the areas around Ground Zero. In the years following the attacks, we found out that people were right to be worried, as more and more survivors developed respiratory problems and cancers […]

After more than half a year of trying to understand and battle the coronavirus pandemic, we know that COVID-19 infects people of all ages and backgrounds, with the elderly being exceptionally vulnerable. The heroes of 9/11 face heightened risk from the virus due to underlying health problems dating back to that fateful day. “9/11 made […]

Thousands of 9/11 first responders and survivors, already suffering from long-term respiratory problems and other complications due to exposure to Ground Zero toxins, now find themselves at additional risk due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. People with lung diseases like COPD, asthma, or lung cancer or with weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk […]