Students who went to school near Ground Zero may be eligible for 9/11 cancer compensation and free healthcare, according to New York education officials.

When the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, thousands of tons of debris released toxic dust. This dust contained dangerous materials including pulverized concrete, lead, mercury, and asbestos.

“We will never know the composition of that cloud, because the wind carried it away, but people were breathing and eating it … What we do know is that it had all kinds of god-awful things in it. Burning jet fuel. Plastics, metal, fiberglass, asbestos. It was thick, terrible stuff. A witch’s brew,” Dr. Michael Crane told Newsweek. Crane is the director of the World Trade Center Health Program’s clinical center at Mount Sinai.

These substances stayed in the air for months where they were inhaled and ingested by residents and first responders. Many people have heard of the persistent health problems these individuals are dealing with, but most do not realize that these chemicals could have had serious effects on students who attended school near Ground Zero.

Recently, city education officials began their attempts to contact former New York students to let them know that they may be eligible for free health care through the World Trade Center Health Program. This program offers healthcare benefits to individuals with a certified 9/11 related illness. Illnesses covered by the program include respiratory problems and numerous cancers.

In addition to free health care, these former students may be able to recover 9/11 cancer compensation from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. This program allows individuals to recover compensation for their 9/11 illnesses if they have their disease certified by the World Trade Center Health Program.

The Victim Compensation Fund was recently reauthorized when President Trump signed “The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund” bill into law. This law, also called the VCF Permanent Authorization Act, will extend the claims deadline to Oct. 1, 2090, and will provide unlimited funds to the program to support survivors.

Spreading the Word About 9/11 Cancer Compensation

For impacted students and teachers, according to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, the 19,000 individuals will receive a letter informing them of the program and including information about the Victim Compensation Fund.

“We are also launching a social-media campaign leveraging all our resources and everything we have at our disposal to get this information out to our alumni all over the regions of the country and the world,” Carranza said during a 9/11 health seminar held at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. “We are committed to not stopping until we reach every single person.”

The United Federation of Teachers will reportedly be embarking on a parallel campaign to inform the 3,000 teachers who worked at public schools near Ground Zero.

According to the New York Post, around 450,000 people are eligible for the World Trade Center Health Program. Unfortunately, less than a quarter of these people are enrolled. Hopefully, with outreach programs for survivor groups such as students and teachers, enrollment will increase and victims can get the care they deserve.