The number of 9/11 first responders deaths continues to rise, says an annual report on police officer fatalities from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

A total of 15 police officers died in 2018 from illnesses and cancers ignited from their work at Ground Zero, says the report. The 9/11 first responders deaths of the officers were four times that determined in 2017.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that more than 580 people have died from cancers related to the toxins and carcinogens released into the air during the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

One of the main types of cancer leading to an increase in 9/11 first responders deaths is multiple myeloma, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association’s JAMA Oncology. Multiple myeloma cancer attacks the plasma cells in the bone marrow. The plasma cells are supposed to make antibodies that help our immune systems kill germs, but multiple myeloma forces the cells to create an abnormal protein.

The JAMA Oncology report said that firefighters who were 9/11 first responders were 1.8 times more likely to develop multiple myeloma compared to a comparable population of men in Minnesota.

Breast cancer cases among men also have been reported in unusually high numbers among men who worked in and around Ground Zero in the days and months following the WTC attacks. Many of them reportedly returned to work the week following the attacks while nearby buildings remained crumbling and burning. Because the buildings that housed their offices were still standing, they say they were expected to be at work.

9/11 First Responders Deaths and Diseases

First responders and people who lived and worked near Ground Zero and have been diagnosed with any of more than 70 different cancers may be eligible for the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund and for the WTC Health Program, which provides healthcare for life for those affected. The WTC Health Program currently serves more than 90,000 civilians and first responders who survived the 9/11 attacks.

Both the Victims Compensation Fund and the WTC Health Program are available for anyone who was near Lower Manhattan below Canal Street between Sept. 11, 2001, and May 31, 2002.

An estimated 400,000 citizens were exposed to toxic substances, including particles of asbestos, glass, and aluminum. Jet fuel smoke polluted the air for several months.

The Victims Compensation Fund is scheduled to remain open through Dec. 18, 2020, but there are reports that money is running low. Some who oversee the distribution of funds are talking about limiting the payouts to smaller amounts in order for the money to go farther.

Time could be running out to make a claim. Unfortunately, newly diagnosed cancers and ailments are verified daily.

With asbestos exposure, the victim might not have symptoms of asbestos-related diseases or cancers until decades later. The microscopic fibers can be swallowed or inhaled and then become entrenched deep inside the tissues. After years of causing inflammation and festering, asbestos can give rise to mesothelioma and other cancers.

Unfortunately, because of the long-term effects of asbestos and other poisons that filled the air for months, many 9/11 first responders deaths have yet to occur.