Pentagon, Shanksville First Responders Apply For 9/11 Compensation Fund
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - They weren't exposed to anywhere near the same level of ash, grit and fumes.
But some emergency workers who responded to the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside on 9/11 are signing up for the same compensation and health care benefits being offered to New Yorkers who got sick after toiling in the dust of the World Trade Center.
Federal officials say at least 91 people from the Pentagon and Shanksville, Penn. have applied for payment from a multibillion-dollar fund for people with an illness related to the attacks.
LINK: 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund
There's little medical evidence that those responders were exposed to unusual environmental hazards or are getting sick in large numbers, but officials are urging some responders to enroll as a precaution.
More than 24,000 applied for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. The deadline to register is Oct. 3.
Anyone who was exposed to the toxins from the 9/11 attacks is urged to register, whether they are experiencing any symptoms or not.
Wednesday marks the 12th anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.
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