Years after the terrorist attacks, new 9/11 health effects are being reported. Against the odds, 15 men who were present at Ground Zero report that they developed breast cancer, most likely because of the toxins they were exposed to while at Ground Zero.

Men represent only 1 percent of breast cancer cases around the country, so the development of breast cancer in 15 men present at Ground Zero is striking, and speaks volumes about the dangerous chemicals released during the terrorist attacks of September 11.

These cancers are just some of the 9/11 health effects experienced by those in the area near Ground Zero.

During the terrorist attacks, numerous harmful chemicals and toxins were released into the air and were breathed in by the thousands of people who were present at Ground Zero during or after the attacks. Tragically, avoiding the toxins was impossible for many people.

Soon after the attacks, it became evident that the attacks would have health effects beyond the immediate death toll. However, it was initially thought that the health effects of the attacks were limited to lung cancer and would become evident soon after the attacks.

In the following years, 9/11 survivors reported that they are experiencing a range of 9/11 health effects including a range of cancers and that these conditions developed even years after the attacks.

Such was the case for Jeff, who worked as an account manager for the data storage company Dell EMC. He was assigned to Goldman Sachs on Maiden Lane, putting him close to the World Trade Center when the planes hit the towers. He says that he spent the months following the attacks around Ground Zero, working to help Goldman and Sachs and other financial firms recover from the effects of the terrorist attacks.

It wasn’t until 2011 when he noticed a lump in his chest, that he ignored for months. He had a biopsy done and discovered that the lump was cancerous. Over the course of his cancer treatment, he had to have a mastectomy, undergo chemotherapy and radiation, and have reconstructive surgery. He said that his shock was in part because he did not know that men could develop breast cancer.

Reflecting on his condition, Jeff told the New York Post, “I do feel like my breast cancer was related to exposure to 9/11 toxins. There’s no history of breast cancer in my family.” Of his exposure to dangerous toxins at Ground Zero, Jeff goes on to say that he “spent months breathing that crap in. You can wind up with any cancer from being down there.”

Happily, Jeff was able to receive a six-figure compensation from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which is helping to cover the co-pays for his medications. Other cancer victims like Jeff and people who suffer from a range of 9/11 health effects are able to receive compensation from 9/11 Victim Compensation Funds, with the help of experienced lawyers.

One lawyer who represented 15 male clients with breast cancer called the cancers that 9/11 survivors developed “like cancer on steroids,” speaking to the rarity of men developing breast cancer, and the intensity of the toxins that were released during and after the attacks.