exposure zone

When the World Trade Center collapsed after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, ten million tons of building materials and 91,000 liters of jet fuel fell into Ground Zero, contaminating the air with toxic chemicals. These airborne toxins included asbestos, heavy metals from computer hardware, and pulverized glass and concrete. Many of the people breathing these […]

All of the 500,000 first responders and people who were working, living, and studying below Canal Street in Manhattan on and after 9/11 were exposed to Ground Zero toxins. These toxins dramatically increase the 9/11 community’s risk of developing 68 different types of cancers and a host of respiratory illnesses. These first responders and survivors […]

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 […]

The Victim Compensation Fund accepts a few different kinds of proof of presence, but for most claimants, the best evidence is two affidavits. These affidavits should come from people, preferably non-family members, who personally witnessed you in the NYC Exposure Zone between September 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002. To be accepted as proof, affidavits […]

Filling out an affidavit to support a residency claim for the NYC Exposure Zone is similar to filling one out for any other purpose, but these affidavits should include a couple of extra facts: Your exact address during the time you were living in the area. The specific time period that you lived at that […]

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 […]