9/11: Still killing
The collapse of the World Trade Center twin towers in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York released immense amounts of toxic chemicals and irritants. Thousands of first responders and clean-up workers, as well as downtown residents who were exposed to these toxins, have been getting sick and dying at an alarming rate ever since. Many of those affected pressured Congress to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010. Congress voted to renew the Victims Compensation Fund for the long term in July 2019.
Photographer Allan Tannenbaum and his wife lived in an apartment with a view of the twin towers. He rushed out to cover the unfolding tragedy and later documented the health impact on the men and women in this series of photos.
In this photo, New York State Corrections Officer Greg Quibell, 53, lies in a hospital bed after chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer, at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, April 2, 2007. He became ill several years after working for two months at Ground Zero. He died in August 2008.
9/11 health impact
A dust-covered fireman stands amid the rubble at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001 after two hijacked planes flew into the landmark twin towers.
According to official figures more than 50,000 recovery and rescue workers were at the WTC site in the aftermath. New York City government reports indicate that those exposed to WTC-related dust were more likely to develop respiratory, sinus, asthma and lung problems. Four times as many firefighters and twice as many EMS workers had below normal lung function after the 9/11 attacks.
Researchers found firefighters who worked at Ground Zero were 19% more likely to develop cancer than firefighters who did not. According to the 2011 study, published in The Lancet medical journal, the increase occurred during the first seven years after 9/11.
Responders who died from illnesses after the attacks aren't among those listed at the National September 11 Memorial.
Zadroga
Joseph Zadroga, father of deceased NYPD detective James Zadroga, with James' daughter Tyler Ann and his wife Linda, attend a rally organized by Unsung Heroes Helping Heroes at Ground Zero to demand a solid commitment to fund long-term health monitoring and treatment for the many health-related needs linked to Ground Zero pollution. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was named after the NYPD detective.
Joseph Zadroga: "I want James to be remembered as a hero that he was. I'd like them to recognize him as a line of duty death so he gets the respect that I think he deserves. The same thing for the other guys - they all deserve that. They never even recognized these guys' heroism. They didn't even recognize what they did for the city and the country. To me that's outrageous. They didn't appreciate what everybody did, that's for sure."
"Dust Lady"
Marcy Borders, who escaped from the World Trade Center just before it collapsed, is seen here at home in Bayonne, New Jersey holding the clothes she was wearing on 9/11. At left is a photo of Borders on September 11th covered in dust and ash, an iconic image made by photographer Stan Honda. The then 28-year-old assistant who worked for Bank of America in the WTC, became known as the "Dust Lady." Borders made it down from the 81st floor and onto the sidewalk just as the South Tower began to fall.
Nearly 14 years later, the mother of two succumbed to stomach cancer at the age of 42 in Aug. 2015. Borders told The Jersey Journal in Nov. 2014 that she didn't have a job or health insurance.
9/11 health impact
Dr. Wajdy L. Hailoo, the Medical Director of The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program at the Queens Clinical Center, examines Freddie Noboa. The former paramedic, who was part of rescue effort at Ground Zero after 9/11, is seriously ill from his toxic exposures. Noboa advocated for the Zadroga bill, and had a serious asthma attack during a rally at the Capitol in 2010. He now lives in Florida.
Noboa: "You could not comprehend the massive destruction. Even though there was an enormous amount of toxic debris and smoke, your skin was on fire you couldn't breathe, your eyes were tearing, you just kept going on and on. You didn't care - you just wanted to find somebody. Now my whole life basically transformed from a healthy man to an old man. I loved EMS. It's all gone now - I'm reduced to nothing"
9/11 health impact
Family members and colleagues pray and pay respects at the wake for FDNY EMT Deborah Reeve who died of mesothelioma on March 19, 2006, after working at Ground Zero two dozen times after 9/11. She was the third EMT to die of Ground Zero illnesses in 2006.
9/11 health impact
John Devlin sits in his living room with his medications, March 29, 2011. Devlin was an operating engineer at Ground Zero. He suffered from throat cancer and had to stop working. He used to weigh 300 pounds but had trouble eating due to the danger of aspirational pneumonia.
Devlin: “We were breathing all the toxins in the air. We took our death sentence. It took eight years for the inoperable throat cancer to appear. I’ve had 33 radiations, 8 chemos, 5 surgeries, burnt out saliva glands and epiglottis. I lost the ability to eat and drink. If the cancer don’t kill me the aspiration pneumonia will. “
Devlin appeared on “The Daily Show” to advocate for the initial passage of the Zadroga Act by Congress. He passed away on March 11, 2014.
9/11 health impact
Tim Duffy, retired FDNY firefighter in the fields at his home in Englishtown, NJ, Aug. 19, 2006. Duffy had to retire due to illnesses acquired from 9/11 and from working on The Pile.
Duffy: “I’m half the man I used to be - I have to take it slow. A lot of people look at what I’m doing and say that I’m doing fine - they don’t see me sucking wind after climbing up and down the ladder. I was a soccer player and a gymnast and used to run long distance - I can’t do any of that now. I gotta take rest and take breaks and take my medicine.”
9/11 health impact
NYC Firefighter Tim Duffy arrives downtown on his Harley after the first tower collapse. Duffy got buried in debris and was unable to continue working as a firefighter.
9/11 health impact
Marvin Bethea, former NYC paramedic, who got sick from his exposure on 9/11, with a chart of the 15 prescription medicines he must now take every day at his home in Queens, New York, May 30, 2006. He suffered a stroke in 2014.
After two strokes, he is now fully disabled and suffers from asthma, high blood pressure and bouts of depression, according to the Wall Street Journal. Bethea, who now lives in West Hempstead, New York, received compensation through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the Zadroga Act, but says most of it went towards legal costs. The U.S. Department of Justice refused him a settlement other first responders received because was employed privately and not by the FDNY.
Bethea: “What people must remember about 9/11 is that the cops, firemen, EMTs, all had very physical jobs. These were healthy people who had these jobs. We had to pass a physical every year. The question now becomes, if all these people were healthy, why are they all sick now? You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. What is the common denominator? 9/11 - Ground Zero.”
9/11 health impact
Former FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches, holds photos of his firefighter son Jimmy who died on 9/11 in New York on July 27, 2008. Chief Riches was one of the recovery workers who found his own son’s body. He had to stop working due to 9/11 toxic exposure related illnesses.
Riches: “We found 150 full bodies and 20,000 body parts. It was like being in hell down there - arms, legs, people cut in half - a gruesome job. There were guys down there that were spitting up blood. And now many, many people are sick It’s a sad state of affairs that everybody’s sick now. I always have my inhaler with me. I never know when I’m not gonna get my next breath. I’m just glad to be alive”
9/11 health impact
Retired NYPD Detective Belinda Shaw, ill from handling Ground Zero debris and body parts at Fresh Kills landfill and the morgue, at home in Queens, New York user her nebulizer, June 13, 2006. In 2015, she was living in a senior complex in Nassau County. She can’t walk that far and has trouble breathing.
Shaw: “9/11 was something we didn’t expect. It was an attack on our city. Even though I became ill, because I love being a police officer and a detective, it brought me such joy and happiness and accomplishment, to just help people. If I had to do it again, I would do it again, because that’s how our police officers are. That’s our job - we had to help the families bring closure, to find a loved one.”
9/11 health impact
Fealgood Foundation Founder and President John Feal leads supporters of the first memorial park to remember those who died of 9/11 related illnesses, April 3, 2011.
“I’ve been to 54 funerals of firefighters since 9/11 and 52 of them are cancer-related,” Feal told ABC News.
Feal lost half a foot in a demolition accident at Ground Zero, but fought hard to help other responders and led the political fight to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. He’s still advocating actively to renew the benefits in 2015.
9/11 health impact
First responder Ken George sits at home with his medications and oxygen in North Babylon, New York, Feb. 24, 2011. After working on The Pile for many months, among his many 9/11-related ailments, Ken suffers from RAD (reactive airways disease), GERD (acid reflux), PTSD and has had a heart attack. Tannenbaum explained that GERD is a common complaint because of the body’s reaction to certain pollutants released into the atmosphere when the towers fell.
George was working for the New York City Highway Department when he responded to Ground Zero on 9/11.
9/11 health impact
Ex-NYPD Patrolman Christopher Baumann, who performed his duties at the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, with his wife Anne Marie, daughter Courtney (13), and son Christopher (11) in front of their home in Lindenhurst, New York, May 26, 2006. He has since gotten divorced and still suffers from PTSD.
Baumann: “This wall of black and gray swept over us. A shock wave actually knocked me backwards about 10 feet and I landed on my back. I lost my wind. I was in the middle of a cloud at that point. Everything was black. The unimaginable had just happened.”
9/11 health impact
Ralph Geidel, retired FDNY firefighter worked on The Pile for 230 days at Ground Zero searching for the remains of his brother, FDNY firefighter Gary Geidel of Rescue 1, stands in front of the Deutsche Bank Building before it was torn down, July 24, 2006. He believed it was still filled with human remains, but his request to search for remains was denied.
Geidel had throat cancer as a result of his Ground Zero exposures and there is a deep scar on his neck. He had a radical neck dissection to remove cancerous lymph nodes and a carcinoma from his tongue. Geidel died in California on Oct. 21, 2014.
9/11 health impact
Ralph Geidel with an intact vase he found in The Pile at Ground Zero as he searched for the remains of his brother Gary, killed on 9/11 at the World Trade Center.
Geidel: “When we first got there it was actually like working inside of a volcano - it was extremely hot. We were digging by hand. There was this orange-yellowish smoke coming out. Our skin was turning maroon. We were hoping to find someone alive but it was just bodies. I knew my brother Gary had a skin graft on his heel. I removed firefighters’ socks and boots trying to find him. It was horrible from day one to the very end - it was a nightmare.”
9/11 health impact
Stuyvesant High School graduate Amit Friedlander was in class just a few blocks from the World Trade Center on 9/11. He experienced the debris cloud and was in school during the debris transfer operation at Pier 25 next to the school. Friedlander has battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system, and managed to graduate from college.
Anyone who was present at the 9/11 attack sites on September 11th or in the immediate aftermath, who suffered physical harm as direct result of the crashes or debris removal, is eligible for health care benefits through the Zadroga Act.
Friedlander: “Anecdotal evidence of rescue workers at Ground Zero getting similar kinds of cancer made me think that my Hodgkin’s Disease might be related to 9/11. I think getting sick opened my eyes to potential health problems and trying to make sure that everyone who was exposed to all this toxic debris after 9/11 is going to have the means for health screening and treatment for their 9/11-related illnesses.”
9/11 health impact
Mercedes Burgos in her kitchen with the many medicines she must take every day, May 23, 2006. She was unable to work. Burgos worked as a cleaner in buildings around Ground Zero, including for more than a year after 9/11.
Burgos: “The conditions at 130 Liberty were very bad. I was in the basement. Everything was damaged; there were spoiled food, dead rats, fungus on the walls, contaminated water on the floor. They had me putting papers in a machine and right there I started to feel bad and I couldn’t come back to work.”
9/11 health impact
Kelly Coangelo, Lower Manhattan resident, shows dust from her apartment and the cheesecloth she used to filter her air conditioner, July 28, 2006. Coangelo suffered many health effects from the contamination of her Financial District apartment after the collapse of the twin towers, including Chemical Sensitivity.
The World Trade Center site is visible in the background from her apartment window. Asbestos content of the dust tested way over safe levels.
Coangel: “I knew my apartment would be trashed. It was covered with dust and it was hard to breathe. I started feeling that my throat was raw, I started coughing like I had been smoking cigarettes for half my life, and I got a rash on my hands and face. I got excruciating headaches. I felt horrible - walking up and down stairs was painful. I had the dust tested and the results came back with 1.4 to 2.1% asbestos - higher than EPA regulations requiring a cleanup.”
9/11 health impact
Firefighter John McNamara, at home in Blue Point, Long Island, Jun. 17, 2008 fought colon cancer after 9/11 and the effects of Ground Zero toxic exposures. He arrived at Ground Zero on 9/11 and worked there until March 2002. He’s had numerous surgeries for cancer and was in and out of Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital. McNamara died on Aug., 2009.
McNamara in 2008: “He cut the bad piece of my liver, out resected my colon, took a piece of my stomach out because the tumor pushed into it, took my lymph nodes and a gall bladder, and installed a pump for my liver. I’ve had radiation, chemotherapy. I have nodules in my lungs now that weren’t there. Biggest one is less than a centimeter. My doctor said it was one of the most aggressive tumors that he’s ever seen in a colon. My oncologist is a firm believer in that what I have is from the Trade Center.”
More than 5,000 cases of cancer have been linked to the toxic dust workers encountered in lower Manhattan after the attacks.
9/11 health impact
Jenn Duncan, homebound in her apartment in Brooklyn, Aug. 1, 2006. She uses a walker to get around and sometimes needs oxygen or the respirator.
Duncan had a pre-existing Multiple Chemical Sensitivity that was greatly exacerbated by the dust and smoke of 9/11 drifting over Brooklyn. Since 2006, she moved to upstate New York and lives there now in 2015.
Duncan: “I have trouble breathing and burning in my nose and throat, migraine-like headaches, severe nausea, burning joint and muscle pain, great difficulty sleeping and eating, and worst of all, my cognitive capabilities are affected. Before, I was a programmer , technical manager, and business person, very active, organized, and productive. Now, I have trouble walking across a room. It’s tough to put two thoughts together, to try to remember anything - thinking is physically painful now.”
Photojournalist Allan Tannenbaum
Photojournalist Allan Tannenbaum coughs while dusting off his equipment after the first World Trade Center tower collapse.
Tannenbaum has been photographer since the 1960s. He photographed the explosion of the second plane and Ground Zero between tower collapses. Though he was covered in dust and debris when the first tower collapsed, he stayed at the site to keep working. His photographs of 9/11 were published all over the world.
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