Its Been 15 Years Since 9/11. 4 Things We Have Learned!

On September 11, 2001, two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center.  Those two planes caused the collapse of the buildings and the killing of 2,996 people and injuring over 6,000 others.  When they collapsed, a massive plume of dust was released into the air.  In addition, fires burned at Ground Zero for more than 90 days continuing to spew contaminants into the air.  Then-EPA chief Christine Whitman encouraged workers and residents to head back to Lower Manhattan saying the air was "safe to breathe.."  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani repeated her claim by saying "to go back to normal" and the air around Ground Zero was "safe as far as we can tell, with respect to chemical and biological agents."  Though some experts, like Mount Sinai's Dr. Philip Landrigan, warned that it was not.

New York City pre-9/11

Will 15 years later we now know that Whitman did not have sufficient information to make that claim and recently has admitted she was wrong.  Studies of the dust have shown significant quantities of carcinogens, irritants, and poisons.  Contaminants like polyaromatic hydrocarbons, dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), fiberglass, lead, asbestos, volatile organic compounds, etc.  The pH of the dust was basic.  Records have shown the City knew of the hazards of the dust and air.  Expediency of the cleanup and the recovery was more important at Ground Zero, than protecting workers from the toxic dust at the site.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was only onsite acting in an advisory role and obviously had little impact on the health consequences of the workers.  As has been printed in numerous articles and pictures many did not wear the respirators they were provided or were provided the incorrect respirator.

Various Respirators Worn During Recovery & Cleanup

The result from this lack of concern regarding the dust?  Will 15 years later we know, that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates roughly 400,000 people - including rescue and recovery workers, residents, students and school staff, building occupants and passersby - were exposed.   As of July 2016, nearly 75,000 were enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program (this program was established by the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2011).  56,580 of the people enrolled are from the Fire Department of New York and other responders.  8,881 are civilians that were exposed to the toxic dust.  Based on the CDC estimate that means hundreds of thousands of people remain unaccounted for and maybe untreated.  The World Trade Center Health Program is monitoring over 30,000 people and is treating 23,000 people.  On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed a law that reauthorized the Zadroga Act that extended funding for the World Trade Center Health Program through 2090.

Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 09-28-2001 in New York

The statistics from the program can be found on the CDC website for the program.  These responder statistics show 18,639 members suffer from rhinosinusitis; 16,418 members suffer from gastroesophageal reflux symptoms (GERD); 10,274 members suffer from asthma; 6,532 members suffer from respiratory disorders; 5,639 suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 1,033 members suffer from prostate cancer.  The New York City Health Department's research found that for all cancer types more cancer cases were found among rescue/recovery workers and civilian survivors compared with the New York State general population between 2007-2011 (11% and 8% respectively).  A 2011 study found that 8 years after 9/11, the prevalence of several respiratory conditions among 10,999 World Trade Center exposed male firefighters remained high in comparison to men in the general population.

    

One World Trade Center

What have we learned?  First, we should heed the warnings of experts, not politicians.  Second, respirators are an essential and mandatory part of any emergency recovery/cleanup.  Third, safety is important but not if we sacrifice health.  Finally, dust generated by disasters, calamities, and emergencies cannot be underestimated in its potential health risk.  Yesterday, was a day to remember and mourn those who died at 9/11.  It was also a day to remember the mistakes made by those who disregarded the dust from the World Trade Center and make sure those mistakes don't happen again!

Related articles

• What We Know About How 9/11 Has Affected New Yorkers' Health, 15 Years Later(nymag.com)

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• 15 Years Later: September 11 Is Not Just A Memory(forbes.com)

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• Cuomo signs bill extending benefits for Ground Zero workers(newsday.com)

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• Zadroga Act helped many 9/11 first responders; for others, it was too late(amny.com)

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• Record Rates Of Cancer Seen In Survivors 15 Years After 9/11(nworeport.me)

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• 9/11: 15 years later(cbsnews.com)

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• Former EPA chief Whitman at center of 9/11 air safety controversy says 'I'm sorry'(yahoo.com)

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• 9/11 rescue workers were not informed of the danger of the operation(irishcentral.com)

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• Zadroga Act Needs An Extension(futureenv.blogspot.com)

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• Protecting Yourself During Restoration or Renovation Projects(futureenv.blogspot.com)

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Zadroga Act Needs An Extension

Its interesting that two things that you wouldn't normally put together have been discussed in the newspapers recently.  In the sports sections of the newspapers, extensions have been announced for Sandy Alderson, the General Manager of the New York Mets and Hal Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, has announced they are negotiating an extension for Brian Cashman, their General Manager.  At roughly the same time Newsday and other media outlets reported on 4 recent deaths of 9/11 responders dying of cancer and leukemia.  These first responders are just a few of the many thousands who are covered under James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act which is set to expire in 2016.  Their deaths have led to calls for an extension of the Zadroga Act.  Which is necessary to help deal with the 9/11-linked illnesses being suffered by workers who worked on Ground Zero pile and were exposed to toxic dust and fumes from the smoldering rubble.

These firefighters are the latest to die since the September 11, 2001 attacks.  As reported by Newsday, the current count is 92 members of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association have died and 875 have been diagnosed with 9/11-linked illnesses.  Of those diagnosed, 80 member's illnesses are at critical stage and 177 are in remission.  Another 280 members are in the early stages of their illnesses and 25 are awaiting confirmation that their illness is World Trade Center related.

September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City: View of the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty. (Image: US National Park Service ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Zadroga Act has allowed the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and others to study the effects of the toxic dust they were exposed to.  A recent blog post by NIOSH, "WTC Rescue/Recovery and Obstructive Airway Disease" discusses some of the information gathered from reviewing the medical records of the first responders such as:

• The increased incidence of respiratory disease such as obstructive airway diseases (OAD), such as asthma and chronic bronchitis have been associated with intensity of exposure as measured by arrival time at the WTC site.
• New onset OAD continues to be observed many years after exposure, contrary to conventional wisdom that irritant-induced asthma should be triggered within a relatively short time after exposure.

The above information is only touching the surface especially considering some of the other diseases we should be expecting, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma, can take 30 years or more to develop.  Some of these diseases if caught early enough can be survivable, but only with an excellent monitoring program.  In addition, it is our hope that this information will assist us in preventing first responders from being exposed to these toxic situations in any future terrorist act or environmental disaster.  The enforcement of the wearing of protective equipment including the use of proper respiratory protection would prevent the need for future Zadroga Acts.

The need to extend the Zadroga Act past 2016 is self-evident from the toxins these responders were exposed.  We hope Congress recognizes this and passes legislation and funding needed to extend the Act.

Related articles

• WTC Rescue/Recovery and Obstructive Airway Disease
• 50 Cancers To Be Covered Under the 9-11 Zadroga Health Claim Fund
• RT: Three 9/11 first responders died of cancer on the same day
• More than 1,100 have cancer after 9/11
• Toxic Dusts - Demolition Implications
• Problems With 9/11 Health Bill

September 11 Deadline for World Trade Center Workers

If you were one of the workers who worked (whether you were injured, or employed, or volunteered) at Ground Zero, Fresh Kills Landfill, the barges, the piers, and the morgues you have until September 11 to register with the New York State Workers' Compensation Board to preserve your right to future benefits.

This includes workers who helped in the rescue, recovery,and cleanup of the World Trade Center.  Workers should complete form WTC-12 (http://www.wcb.ny.gov/content/main/forms/wtc-12.pdf).  For more information visit the World Trade Center Registry at:  http://www.wcb.ny.gov/WTC12/WTC12.jsp 

Related articles

• Governor Cuomo Announces Significant new Protections for World Trade Center Workers
• 1 month left for 9/11 responders to apply for workers' comp
• U.S. Appeals Court Revives WTC Cleanup Workers' Health Claims
• Report: More than 2,500 9/11 responders have cancer

The Toxic Clouds of 9/11

On Sunday, September 17, we went to see the film "The Toxic Clouds of 9/11" at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY (http://www.cinemaartscentre.org/september/911.html). After the film, their was a panel discussion, which brought new information to light regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's response during the clean-up and the fact that NYC Emergency Medical Technicians that responded to 9/11 are being left out of the loop on compensation for their illnesses. The film was produced and directed by Alison Johnson who has written several books on multiple chemical sensitivity and Prevention is the Cure (www.preventionisthecure.org) was the sponsor for this program.
Several points we took way from the film and panel discussion:

• It's taking too long to compensate NYC EMTs (Unsung Heroes-Helping Heroes www.unsunghhh.org is an organization trying to remedy this problem) and other workers that worked at Ground Zero in the toxic dust.
• Many chemicals being used have very little or no data on their effects on humans.
• No surprise here, EPA lied about the air quality at Ground Zero.
• Workers at Ground Zero were only provided N95 filtering facepieces.
• No effort was made to contain the toxic dust to Ground Zero and prevent its spread to other parts of the City.
• The health effects that Ground Zero workers are experiencing are similar to the reactions of multiple chemical sensitivity victims. These reactions have been seen in Gulf War Veterans, workers that worked on Exxon Valdez oil spill, and starting to see in workers that worked on cleaning up after the Hurricanes Rita & Katrina.

Considering the health effect information coming out regarding the handling of various catastrophies, it certainly seems we need better work procedures to protect first responders and the workers during these clean ups. We also need to make sure we provide adequate compensation for first reponders and the clean-up workers who work at these catastrophies and then get sick because of their work.