September 11, 2001, will always commemorate a day of tribulation in the United States. Some 3,000 people lost their lives in multiple terrorist attacks, the largest one being the fall of the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City. Thousands of first responders and civilians risked their lives to save others.
Eighteen years later, the toll is still climbing. Many forms of carcinogens were released during the burning and collapse of the buildings, which smoldered for months, and inhaled by thousands of people. General illnesses caused from high levels of dust inhalation include chronic coughs and asthma for bystanders and first responders. Most severely, multiple forms of leukemia, melanoma and mesothelioma cancers have been linked to the destruction at the World Trade Center in 2001.
Doctors fear incidences of mesothelioma, along with a range of other medical conditions, will continue to rise.
When the World Trade Center was built, the use of asbestos was common and this dangerous additive was used across many different applications and areas in the twin tower buildings. As the towers burned, countless people were exposed to ash and dust that certainly contained asbestos and a combination of other deadly threats, increasing their risk of mesothelioma. This cancer has a notoriously aggressive onset and a historically grim prognosis. It can develop in the lungs, stomach, or heart after any amount of exposure to asbestos, and is a common cancer diagnosis among 9/11 first responders. Doctors fear incidences of this type of cancer, along with a range of other medical conditions, will continue to rise.
Many other diseases linked to 9/11 have latency periods of ten to twenty years, meaning some of the potential health impacts of the tragedy are yet to come.
According to the Association for Cancer Research, firefighters who worked at the World Trade Center have roughly double the risk of developing multiple myeloma precursors compared to the general public. Myeloma accumulates in the body’s bone marrow, overtaking any healthy cells nearby.
The chances of developing this specific cancer increases with age, and is most commonly seen in adults around their mid-60s — an age many 9/11 professional responders are hitting this decade.
As of May of this year, more than 40,000 people had applied for funding from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, and close to 19,000 cases were pending. A previous version of the fund had made healthcare permanent, but funded only five more years of the Victim Compensation Fund. The Department of Justice administrator slashed its payouts by more than half in February, saying most of the money was gone.
In July, the U.S. House and Senate passed and President Donald Trump signed a bill that will permanently authorize financial support to the families of 9/11 victims and first responders. The votes in the House and Senate were, respectively, 402-12 and 97-2.
After the bill's passage, sponsor Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was quoted saying, “This should never have been a fight. It should never have taken this long to pass this bill and make it permanent. It should never have been a question.”
In signing the bill into law, Trump stated, “Today, we come together as one nation to support our Sept. 11 heroes, to care for their families, and to renew our eternal vow: never, ever forget.”
As we reach the 18th anniversary of this tragedy, it’s important to honor the lives lost, and especially to continue to support those still struggling with its impacts.
This column was produced for the Progressive Media Project, which is run by The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.