Even though the terrible events of 9/11 occurred 27 years ago, the hidden effects are still present today. Even though the attacks themselves only killed about 3,000 people, the dust and smoke from the collapse have killed more than twice as many people due to long-term health problems.
A legacy that lasts
Elizabeth Cascio, who used to work as an EMT for the New York Fire Department, knows this all too well. She got headaches, sinus problems, and coughs that wouldn’t go away after working at Ground Zero for almost two months. “We all knew the air quality was not safe—it was very toxic in terms of how it felt,” Cascio says. “I could feel the particles coming into my nose and mouth and thought, ‘This can’t be good.'”
When the towers fell, Cascio, along with many other first responders, faced exposure to asbestos, heavy metals, and dangerous chemicals. Lower Manhattan’s dust cloud contained irritants such as gypsum and calcite, as well as smoke with very fine soot particles, unburned jet fuel, and other harmful fumes. Cascio is one of 127,567 people who have signed up for the World Trade Centre (WTC) Health Program today. This program provides treatment and monitoring for individuals impacted by 9/11 exposures.
Health problems keep coming up.
The effects of this exposure have been very bad, and they have spread to many places. Diseases associated with 9/11 have claimed the lives of some participants in the WTC Health Program. The number surpasses the 2,977 fatalities on that day by more than twice.
First responders and volunteers who worked at Ground Zero in the months and weeks following the attacks were among the many people injured. Others lived in the area, were in school, or were working when the towers fell. Many of them are still getting sick years later, with conditions like cancer, lung diseases, autoimmune diseases, and PTSD.
First responder and demolition expert John Feal talks about how these health problems can happen at any time. “Some people got sick in two years, some people in eight, and others in 12,” he adds. However, we were exposed to a toxic soup never before seen.”
The Number of Health Problems
The events of 9/11 have been associated with a long list of health problems. What’s in it:
Respiratory Problems: Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic rhinosinusitis are just a few of the respiratory problems that have affected a lot of people.
Cancers: The WTC Health Program has diagnosed more than 37,500 individuals with cancers such as lung, breast, prostate, and thyroid. Researchers have also discovered that 9/11 exposure can lead to uterine cancer.
Mental health disorders: A lot of survivors and first responders have PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Other Conditions: People who were exposed to the toxins have a high rate of autoimmune diseases, as well as rare diseases like sarcoidosis.
New research also suggests that there may be links to nerve damage and problems with thinking.
What does the WTC Health Program do?
The WTC Health Program provides medical care and monitoring to those injured on 9/11. This includes people at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA. It also funds research into related mental and physical health issues. This program, which also provides free medical care to those who qualify, helped find many of the conditions now linked to 9/11 exposure.
People are still working to get more conditions covered. One example is that heart diseases are more common among responders than in the general population, especially among women. “Not everyone connects their time at Ground Zero to their conditions, so getting the word out is important,” says Bridget Gormley, whose father died of cancer, which was linked to 9/11.
How hard it is for survivors.
The long wait for symptoms to show up is the hardest part for many survivors. Michael O’Connell, a retired firefighter from New York City, worked at Ground Zero in 24-hour shifts right after the attacks. They diagnosed him with sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease, after six years. “We breathed in poisonous air for eight months.” “23 years after exposure, people are still getting sick and dying,” he claims.
A World Effect
Not just people in New York are having health problems because of 9/11. People from all over the world, including the United States, came to help clean up. Marc Wilkenfeld was one of the first doctors to treat survivors and first responders. “People don’t realize there are first responders in all 50 states and other countries,” he says. A lot of these responders are now having health problems because they aren’t getting the help or recognition they need.
Moving On
9/11 survivors and first responders are still dealing with the effects of that terrible day. Individuals continue to receive cancer diagnoses, and as time progresses, additional conditions might surface. The survivors and their supporters are still fighting for recognition and help, though.
“‘Never Forget’ means making sure their story doesn’t die with them,” he says. This feeling shows how important it is to remember how that terrible day affected people for a long time.
In conclusion
Thousands of people are still experiencing the hidden costs of 9/11 in ways that were unimaginable 23 years ago. New health problems are emerging because of the toxic dust and smoke from 9/11. This reminds us that the tragedy did not end on that terrible day. The narrative persists, necessitating further investigation, heightened consciousness, and additional assistance for the ongoing suffering.
