Years after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center emergency workers and first responders are being diagnosed with cancer, some rare and fast spreading. Scientists and epidemiologists believe that these cancers were caused by the men and women working at the World Trade Center inhaling the toxic cocktail of dust and smoke released when the Twin Towers collapsed. Only time will tell the true toll of the 9/11 attacks on our American heroes.

Our Heroes Are Asking – Did I Catch Cancer from the Air?

It doesn’t even seem possible – how could you catch cancer simply by breathing? Especially by breathing air that you had been reassured was okay – by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the very agency we rely on to protect Americans from environmental dangers. But this is the exact question many of our emergency responders and survivors of 9/11 are asking – why now, years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, are they being diagnosed with cancer? And these are not just any cancers, they are often rare and fast spreading, leaving their victims with more questions than answers.

To date, seventy-five 9/11 workers have been diagnosed with an assortment of blood cancers that doctors and epidemiologists agree were likely caused by exposure to the toxic cocktail of smoke and dust released when the Twin Towers collapsed. This is all despite Christine Todd Whitman of the EPA telling New Yorkers eight days after the attacks that “their air is safe to breathe and the water is safe to drink.” Even more shocking, the EPA only tested for asbestos during their initial “test and clean” program, and only after pressure from their Inspector General and the GAO will they include additional toxins in their next round of planned testing . But this is too little to late – six years after the attacks, the damage has been done.

A study by researchers at the Mount Sinai Medical Center states, “The workers and volunteers who served New York City and the nation through their heroic service in the aftermath of September 11 need continuing medical surveillance and followup, especially because some diseases, such as cancer, are of long latency” and that “WTC responders should be monitored for at least 20–30 years.” However this much anticipated study focused mainly on respiratory ailments and only mentioned cancer in passing once, in the above quote. In fact, cancer is one of the least studied of the 9/11 ailments – yet experts agree that more rescue workers and emergency responders will likely be diagnosed with a variety of cancers in the years to come.

Clearly there is a great deal that scientists, epidemiologists, and our government officials do not know about what is making our 9/11 heroes so sick. Not only are the men and women who risked their lives six years ago suffering, but they have been misled by the government and have even had their disability claims and compensation requests denied. Only now that so many are sick and so many are suffering – only now is the truth coming out. The toll of illness and death from that fateful day six years ago is going to be much higher than any of us could have imagined.

The attorneys at Napoli Bern are dedicated to helping protect the rights of America’s heroes. If you or someone you love are suffering from the effects of 9/11, please contact our expert legal team immediately for a no-cost consultation. Nobody who risked their life after the attacks of September 11th deserves to suffer, and Napoli Bern wants to make sure you receive the fair treatment and compensation that you deserve.
©2008 Napoli Bern LLP, All Rights Reserved, Reproduced with Permission
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