The past four months have included an additional 40 deaths associated with WTC related health conditions. This includes cancer and other 9/11 related illnesses. Many people who have developed World Trade Center cancer were those who were first responders working in or near the scene of the terrorist attack.

Many of these individuals who developed WTC related health conditions have had those conditions and resulting diagnoses developed years after the initial attack. Plenty of physicians who are currently diagnosing and treating first responders and those who were in or near the area of the World Trade Center attacks know that dangerous and toxic particles in the air and dust from the explosions are likely to cause medical conditions over time.

The expected rate of 9/11 illness deaths through September 2019 will either exceed or match 163 fatalities. The number 163 is the total of accumulated fatalities between Sept. 1, 2017 and Sept. 1, 2018. That data point is considered the highest annual death toll for World Trade Center medical conditions since the terror attacks occurred.

Compensation for WTC Victims

Many of the victims who have been diagnosed with a September 11 related illness due to the recovery effort at Ground Zero are attempting to recover compensation from the 9/11 victim compensation fund. Thousands of others have already passed away.

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund might be the only way for them to pay for their treatment and living expenses.

Many different WTC related health conditions have been associated with living or working near Ground Zero, many of them tied to cancer. Through November 2018, nearly 42,000 WTC victim compensation fund eligibility claims were filed. Some advocates helping to remember the lives of those who were lost, not just in the initial terror attacks but due to medical complications since then, are attempting to expand payments through the VCF, like Gov. Cuomo.

The over $7 billion victim compensation fund is scheduled to expire in 2020. However, the number of claims from victims has been rising in recent years and there are serious concerns that the money inside the fund will run out prior to the deadline.

In February 2019, the fund is anticipated to amend award payouts to compensate for their shortfall, meaning that those who are recently diagnosed with a Ground Zero related illness, like 9/11 cancers, will receive less than those who applied one year ago for the same condition.

A total of 90,000 first responders are estimated to have shown up at the World Trade Center grounds after the attack and 400,000 survivors worked or lived in the area at the time. In total, 180 New York firefighters and related employees passed away due to complications from the toxic dust at Ground Zero since the terror attack.

The terror attack itself claimed 343 members of the New York Fire Department. It is expected that nearly 10,000 people have developed cancer due to toxic 9/11 dust. So far over 2,000 first responders including doctors, building workers, electricians and paramedics have passed away from illnesses due to breathing in the toxic fumes.