It took eight and one-half months. For those present in the area of lower Manhattan, those eight and one-half months of post-terrorist attack clean-up were fraught with multiple occasions of exposure to cancer and other disease-causing agents in the environment.

You didn’t even have to be actively involved in debris handling to be affected. Merely by living or working in the vicinity, the process stirred up toxins that would eventually create one 9/11 cancer victim after another.

According to a New York Daily News article, a new 9/11 cancer victim who was a retired New York firefighter has succumbed to his disease. George Froehlich died at age 64 on Thursday, March 29, 2018 after attempting to gain a foothold against prostate cancer for several years.

His widow, Michele Froehlich, as well as other family members say his disease was linked to exposures he experienced while involved with the supply chain to and from the ground zero terrorist attack site during the clean-up period. He is the ninth 9/11 cancer victim from the New York Fire Department (NYFD) to pass away from an illness related to the historical attack.

George Froehlich started working for the NYFD in 1982 in Brooklyn. He migrated later to a Staten Island location where he retired in 2002. It is not clear whether he retired due to the onset of illness or stress of the terrorist attack, but he moved on to own a popular West Brighton pub and restaurant for several years.

This 9/11 cancer victim as well as others have been counted among the casualties because of breathing in or ingesting or absorbing through the skin various toxins stemming from burned jet fuel, asbestos fibers, microscopic glass, concrete, aluminum, and steel particles.

The Revived 9/11 Cancer Victim Fund—Not Just for Firefighters and First Responders

In another New York Daily News article, special master of the revived 9/11 Cancer Victim fund Rupa Bhattacharyya notes just how much survival guilt there is surrounding the attack.

This survival guilt seems to keep ill people not associated with the NYFD or New York Police Department (NYPD) and those that aren’t Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or First Responders from applying for benefits as well.

According to a New York City lawyer quoted in this same article, there were just under a half-million people exposed to toxins during the terrorist attack and during the cleanup efforts.

There were our paid heroes, but there were also everyday people that worked and went to school in the region. There were garbage company employees, utility workers, and city workers to name just a few.

After closing in 2004, the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund was found to be needed once again as the true cost of this attack continued to be felt as people succumbed to diseases related to toxic exposure.

It was reopened again in 2011 and infused with $7.3 billion dollars to help with medical expenses, funeral expenses, and survival costs for spouses and underage children.

While the NYFD has lost another of its own, there are many other people that could and should come forward to claim benefits from the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund. The documentation is best handled with the aid of an expert attorney. If you or a loved one are a 9/11 cancer victim, you may qualify for a free legal consultation.