In the fall of 2006, a study by Mt. Sinai confirmed what hundreds of first responders and concerned citizens have known for years: exposure to the air at the WTC after 9/11 causes serious illness. The study discovered that 7 out of every 10 first responders developed respiratory problems. Rates of lung disease, asthma, and cancer were abnormally high. Those afflicted with health problems found their lives transformed by a barrage of ailments: migraines, shortness of breath, abdominal pains, heavy bleeding, memory loss and vertigo, and in the worst cases lung, brain and blood cancers:

• In January 2006, James Zadroga, a 34-year old NYPD detective died from brain and respiratory complications he contracted while doing rescue work after 9/11.
• In November 2006, Sister Cindy Mahoney, a nun and chaplain who blessed the remains of victims and prayed with first responders, died at age 54 from chronic respiratory diseases.
• In March 2007, Philip Rooney, a carpenter for the NYC Department of Transportation who helped clear debris at the WTC died of leukemia at age 41.

Dozens of other similar first responders have died or are fighting terminal illnesses.

Abandoned by the Government

The failure of the federal, state and local governments to care for 9/11 first responders began immediately following 9/11. Reports have shown that the EPA and the White House, though fully aware of the toxic effects of the air in Lower Manhattan, covered up the facts and misled the public to believe that health precautions were not necessary. In the years after 9/11, initial funds allocated to help first responders proved inadequate, and no one has stepped in to help treat first responders and support their families.

Why are they sick?

The Need for Action

While Congress and the White House wrestle over how much to spend and who to give it to, first responders are dying. Studies have shown strong evidence of a link between WTC exposure and serious illness, yet insurance and government agencies have resisted providing the help many first responders need. Despite these struggles, individuals and organizations have stepped in to help raise public awareness and first responders directly.

What’s being done?