Renowned photographer suffers from breathing problems after 9/11.

Renowned photographer suffers from breathing problems after 9/11

New York, NY – Keith Meyers, a retired New York Times photographer, suffers from serious breathing problems, which he attributes to his involvement in covering the September 11, 2001 tragedy.

Mr. Meyers was on vacation on that date and had to cut it early to hurry over to Ground Zero to help with the media coverage.

A few days later, he shot the first-ever aerial news photos of the still-burning Twin Towers while on board a Coast Guard helicopter. He recalled feeling his skin tingling and burning from the rising smoke as he leaned out of the helicopter to snap the pictures.

Mr. Meyers was later informed by his doctor that he had been exposed to hazardous chemicals from the fire.

The collapse of the World Trade Center caused many dangerous substances to be spread, including asbestos. Although the Environmental Protection Agency issued a press release two days after saying the area didn’t contain excessive levels of asbestos or other harmful chemicals, it was later discovered that the EPA had been pressured by the White House to “add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones.”

Mr. Meyer’s health has been deteriorating ever since. He has suffered several asthma attacks and his energy level has gone down significantly. Friends of Mr. Meyers described him as a very hyper person, able to run circles around people, before being afflicted by the illnesses.

Although he undergoes treatments for his breathing, he decided to take an indefinite leave from his job at the New York Times last year because he felt that he could no longer perform his job properly. Even as Mr. Meyers suffers from the illness, he says what’s even harder to deal with is that he can no longer do what he’s passionate about because it would worsen his condition. One silver lining to his involvement in the 9/11 coverage is that Mr. Meyers and the NY Times photography staff won a Pulitzer Prize for their work.

Many journalists, construction workers, and volunteer and professional rescue workers have reported persistent health effects, including mesothelioma, after they covered the 9/11 incident as well. Between 2002 and 2004, a study was conducted which included more than 9,000 people who were at Ground Zero during the incident. The study concluded that this group was five times more likely to suffer from breathing problems than the general population.

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