The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center took thousands of lives on September 11, 2001. Many who have been affected by the attacks on September 11th were affected in the days and months after the initial attacks.

Health conditions such as World Trade Center cancer and other conditions have occurred in those who either lived or worked below Canal Street, or first responders that took part in the recovery processes.

Over 75,000 first responders including firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other rescuers took part in the rescue and clean up after the World Trade Center attacks. These first responders risked their lives during the rescue and clean up process and, as it would seem, are still being affected almost 17 years after the fact.

World Trade Center Cancer

A report by The Sun indicates that over 2,000 workers including electricians, doctors, building workers and paramedics have died from World Trade Center cancer and other complications as a result of their work after the 9/11 attacks. These illnesses, including World Trade Center cancer, were often caused by breathing in toxic fumes that surrounded the area after the 9/11 attacks.

According to The Sun, it is predicted that by the end of 2018, more people will have died due to World Trade Center cancer and respiratory illnesses than were killed in the actual attacks.

Some first responders have also had to undergo aggressive treatment for their World Trade Center cancer including the removal of the tongue for cancer in the mouth. Still others have been unable to work because of World Trade Center cancer-related issues and do not have the right healthcare coverage.

The Sun reports, “After a lengthy campaign for benefits and compensation, 83,000 people have been enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, which offers care to those suffering from a 9/11-related illness – half of who are battling not one but two diseases such as cancer, PTSD or severe respiratory disease.”

After the two towers of the World Trade Center was destroyed, fires burned in and around “Ground Zero” for fourteen weeks. These fires released toxic fumes, many of which are cancer-causing. Benzene, asbestos, chromium and lead were among the poisonous elements released when the fires burned in lower Manhattan.

Researchers have linked nearly 70 types of cancer with the World Trade Center, according to the Sun.

One firefighter, James Zadroga, was diagnosed with World Trade Center cancer and died in 2006. When doctors looked at his lungs, they discovered glass and other cancer-causing toxins presumably from his work at Ground Zero.

A bill has been passed using Zadroga’s name, in his honor, to help give financial help to those affected by World Trade Center cancer and other respiratory problems.

One firefighter, Tom Wilson, recounts his first days as a first responder. “It was like having your mouth wrapped around the exhaust pipe of a motor vehicle,” he told The Sun. “It was a metallic acidic smell it was hard to describe but you could feel it burning your mouth and lungs as you breathed in and out. We ate and slept down there and in the beginning we got no protective gear.”

He has had to undergo devastating medical treatment to treat the World Trade Center cancer he has developed as a result of his first responder work. Wilson has had to have his neck dissected to take out lymph glands and has had to undergo skin grafts and radiation. He has also had a portion of his tongue removed and is currently suffering from necrosis of the jaw.