Researchers have discovered that toxins released in the dust created by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 may be linked to prostate cancer developing in first responders. This research was inspired by the experience of one 9/11 cancer victim.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the research was conducted by the division of hematology and medical oncology at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. Researchers investigated the consequences of exposure to the World Trade Center. The study was published in the June issue of the publication Molecular Cancer Research.

To help elucidate the effects of the dust on first responders, the researchers studied the effects of the same dust on rats. U.S. News and World Report reports that the samples used in the Mount Sinai research are the only existing dust samples taken on the day of the terrorist attacks, whereas other dust samples used in research were collected after a large storm hit three days after 9/11.

The Wall Street Journal says that first responders who had been exposed to the dust at Ground Zero suffered from inflammation of their prostates. Some first responders did eventually develop prostate cancer, reportedly. 

As inflammation of the prostate is considered an important research contributor to the development of prostate cancer, this research investigated the possible connection between exposure to the dust, the inflammation, and the prostate cancer, to determine if the dust exposure was linked to prostate cancer itself.

Research indicated that the dust contributed to immune cell increases in prostate cancer tissues in both first responders and rats, pointing to inflammation. US News goes on to note that the study did not prove that exposure to 9/11 dust caused cancer, but did point to a connection between the two.

Dr. William Oh, Chief of the division of hematology and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine said that the experience of one 9/11 cancer victim, a first responder, inspired the research. He said that the first responder developed prostatitis, a condition involving inflammation of the prostate, soon after he was exposed to the 9/11 dust.

According to Dr. Oh, the 9/11 cancer victim then developed “a high-grade prostate cancer” after several years. Dr. Oh said that this occurrence “suggested that there might be a link between his exposure and cancer.” Speaking to how this incident inspired him to investigate the connection, Dr. Oh explained that he knew he would “need to examine it systematically,” reports U.S. News.

Unfortunately, prostate cancer is not the only type of cancer linked to 9/11. During the terrorist attacks, many toxins were released into the air. They were breathed in by many people present in and around Ground Zero.

Though the air and the dust were innately deemed safe by experts, cases of cancer and other illnesses present in those at Ground Zero have only increased over the years, indicating the presence of toxins in the Ground Zero dust.

The New York Post presented a tragic update on the issue last year, noting that over 10,000 people have developed cancers linked to their exposure to toxic dust and smoke released at Ground Zero.