9/11 Health MovementThe collapse of the WTC towers, and WTC 7 caused:
Pathogenesis & etiology
* Approximately 40,000 rescue and recovery workers were exposed to caustic dust and toxic pollutants following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC). These workers included traditional first responders such as firefighters and police and a diverse population of construction, utility, and public sector workers.
* Workers were exposed to a mix of toxic chemicals containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs, including benzene), metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), thousands of tons of coarse and fine particulate matter cement dust, glass fibers, asbestos, lead, hydrochloric acid, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated dioxins and furans. The high content of pulverized cement made the dust highly caustic (pH 10-11) (Lioy et al. 2002; Landrigan et al. 2004).
More then 70% of 9/11 First Responders reported mortally ill
On September 6, 2006, Mount Sinai School of Medicine released the most through study of these issues to date. Here is what they found:
* 69% of all responders reported having had at least one WTC-worsened or newly incident respiratory symptom while performing WTC response work.
* Respiratory symptoms persisted to the time of examination in 59% of the population.
* Early arrival at the WTC site was significantly associated with an increased reported prevalence of both newly incident and worsened respiratory symptoms.
According to Robin Herbert, director of the World Trade Center program at Mount Sinai this is only the beginning.
“One concern now is the emergence in first responders of rare lung-scarring diseases that could be fatal. Another concern is the potential for an increased rate of cancer in coming years. Asthma, chronic sinusitis and mental health problems also are common among those who were first on the scene.
If you are a first responder suffering from ANY negative health effects as a result of your working in or around Ground Zero during 9/11 and the weeks following, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance. If you know someone having health problems or any other dibilitating issues, and they were first responders, please send them to us. We will help in any way that we can.
9/11 Care would also like to meet anyone interested in helping spread the word of our charity and mission, as well as anyone interested in helping out on local levels all across the United States.