Asbestos from 9/11 exposed to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers

More than six years after the tragedy that was September 11, 2001, lives are still being claimed as result of the events that occurred that day.

Airborne dust created from the destruction and carried throughout the city by wind had contained asbestos and over 670,000 New Yorkers may have been exposed to the substance. Of that amount, it is estimated that over 100,000 were exposed to highly dangerous levels of asbestos. All of these people are at risk to contract mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer, which may take up to 50 years after exposure to appear. Once the incurable cancer starts to take effect, it progresses quickly and claims the lives of most of its victims in less than a year.

It usually takes over a decade before people who have come in contact with asbestos to become diagnosed; however, for emergency workers and others who were at Ground Zero immediately after the incident and stayed around to help, exposure levels were so high that some have developed the disease only two years afterward.

The first emergency responder reported to die from mesothelioma was Deborah Reeve, a 17-year veteran paramedic for the FDNY EMS. Deborah started to develop symptoms in 2003 and was diagnosed in 2004. She passed away in March 2006.

Workers and volunteers were not made aware of the risk they were taking when they arrived to help with disaster efforts. They were not given proper safety equipment. At most some had respirator masks, which experts say did not provide adequate protection.

Health officials believe that the contamination lasted for weeks and maybe even months after the disaster. Although tests at the time showed that there were still dangerous levels of asbestos in the air, city officials told the public it was safe to return to downtown.

The government has set aside $90 million to monitor the health of workers who were at Ground Zero, but the funding so far has only been extended until 2009. The disease could take decades to appear in many individuals.

**For a FREE information packet including treatments, clinical trials, and specialists, please complete the form above or call a Mesothelioma Web coordinator at 1-877-367-6376.

News

Resources

If you would like to receive a FREE information packet or have questions about mesothelioma, call us at:

Toll-Free 1-877-367-6376