Almost 20 years ago, over 2,600 people died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers. Twenty years later, first responders there that day are still suffering health issues from the event.
The falling of the towers created an explosion of toxins, inhaled by first responders as they tried to recover bodies. Within the toxins were asbestos.
A new report from the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program shows that 75% of the first responders present twenty years ago still suffer long-term side effects today.
15,500 fire fighters and EMS workers were there and today around 11,300 have at least one condition related to the toxins or the attack itself.
Health conditions include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, severe emphysema, bronchitis, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, most cancers, mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and substance abuse, and musculoskeletal injuries.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]