9/11-related cancers

More than 18 years after September 11, 2001, the number of victims and the range of afflictions linked to the World Trade Center attacks grow. Asbestos, chemicals from building materials, smoke and other potentially dangerous substances were ejected from Ground Zero for months following the fall of the Twin Towers. As a result, people who […]

Though she wasn’t a firefighter, police officer or EMT, Marya Columbia described herself as a “responder” when applying for the World Trade Center Health Program. She qualified for benefits as a survivor because her Lower Manhattan apartment was in the designated exposure zone. However, that classification does not begin to describe Ms. Columbia’s contribution to […]

For several years, the news has been filled with stories about medical problems linked to breathing the contaminated air around the World Trade Center site following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The reauthorization of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund has put the spotlight on heroes who died prematurely due to respiratory illness, prostate cancer and […]

Less than two years before the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, scientists and healthcare providers still have many lingering questions about the effects on those who reported to the scene and participated in the months-long recovery effort. Higher cancer rates have been reported among the first responders who served […]

As the serious medical problems associated with 9/11 exposure mount, a new cancer risk has been identified. During a four-year period, diagnoses of head and neck cancers increased by 40 percent among World Trade Center first responders. Carcinogenic particles that were inhaled by police officers, fire fighters, military personnel and others at or near Ground […]

The 17th anniversary of September 11, 2001 is approaching. It is truly heartbreaking that The World Trade Center Health Program has counted 9,795 first responders, downtown workers, residents, students and others with 9/11-related cancers. And the number of cancer cases is rapidly rising. Cancer doesn’t have a deadline, so why should the 9/11 Victim Compensation […]