The link between exposure to toxins from 9/11 and cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent as more survivors and first responders are diagnosed with dangerous diseases. Unfortunately, it may be more difficult as time goes by for those diagnosed with 9/11 cancer to receive compensation.

9/11 Injuries

In the initial aftermath of the devastating 9/11 attacks in New York, nearly 3,000 people were killed and twice as many were left injured.

Quickly, first responders and volunteers got to work at Ground Zero. Those who remember that day remember the photos and videos of the first responders working to find and save people from the rubble in one of the bravest and most selfless acts in the face of incredible destruction and danger. Hundreds of these first responders—including firefighters, police, and EMTs—died that day at Ground Zero, and more still were injured.

However, some who were injured while working at Ground Zero did not discover the injury until recently. Indeed, many first responders and survivors have since been diagnosed with a variety of cancers due to exposure.

9/11 and Cancer

The danger presented by 9/11 wasn’t just confined to the initial attacks, but instead lasted for a long time in the form of dangerous substances in the air that those in the area inhaled. Dangerous toxins and carcinogens like asbestos, fiberglass, benzene, mercury, and more saturated the area.

At the time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the air was safe to breathe. In the following months years, it became clear that this was not the case, and that exposure at 9/11 and cancer diagnoses are closely linked.

Many firefighters, for instance, developed chronic respiratory illnesses at very early ages, even as little as a year after the tragedy itself. In the more long-term, first responders and survivors began to be diagnosed with dozens of different kinds of cancers. For many, their cancer diagnoses came a decade or more after the initial exposure.

A fund was created to help assist victims and families of the 9/11 attacks, and as the link between 9/11 and cancer becomes increasingly clear, this fund should also apply to those who are now discovering their injuries.

However, claimants have faced a few problems. The link between 9/11 and cancer is a difficult one to determine. More than 16 years later now, evidence of a link between 9/11 and cancer has grown, but the amount of compensation available in funds for those injured has dwindled, and the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund is currently only set to stay in operation until 2020.

Those who may have been exposed to 9/11 and cancer risk, and may therefore be eligible for compensation from this fund, include firefighters, police, EMTs, construction and sanitation workers, volunteers, nearby employees and residents, and more. See our investigation page for more specifics on who may be eligible for compensation.

Filing a Lawsuit Over 9/11 and Cancer Diagnosis

If you or someone you love have been diagnosed with cancer and were present in the area around Ground Zero sometime between September 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002, you may be eligible for compensation from the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.