Health Problems Caused by 9/11

One of the immediate effects which 9/11 had on New Yorkers was the negative health implications of the twin towers’ collapse. As citizens fled in fear, many first responders such as firemen, policemen, and paramedics rushed towards the smoke and destruction. A cloud of smoke engulfed New York City’s skyline for days after the terrorist attack which brought down two of Manhattan’s largest buildings. Without many realizing, this cloud of smoke and the other chemical remains from the collision left in the air and ground presented New Yorkers with major health issues. These carcinogens included “jet fuel, asbestos, lead, mercury, and fibrous gas” which seeped into the homes and workplaces of residents in the lower Manhattan area (Ramsey). Much of lower Manhattan from the subways to businesses and especially the air surrounding “ground zero” became contaminated. The cleanup process was lengthy and many understood that carcinogenic substances were present especially at ground zero. This did not stop the resilient New Yorkers that wanted to see this rebuilding process through, wanted to find any survivors stuck in the ruble, and needed to put their city before themselves. Over time health experts have found a correlation between the likelihood of developing health problems such as “cancer, asthma, mental health disorders and gastrointestinal diseases” and those who stayed in the area. As of 2016, 127 firemen have passed away due to illnesses caused by their exposure to ground zero, over 1000 have developed cancer, and thousands more suffer from other illnesses. (Mohney). With many suffering, this prompted the United States government to come up with a solution to help both first responders and citizens that were normally in the area from students, workers and of course residents. This became the World Trade Center Health Program which has a membership of nearly 80,000 individuals that have been effected by a wide range of conditions due to the events 9/11 (Ramsey). The program has helped cover the medical expenses of those afflicted, many of which went into debt due to their medical bills following 9/11. Despite this effort to help those at major health risk, there are still some problems. Some effected are still not covered due to misinformation or lack of awareness of the program entirely. Determining if an illness was caused by something 9/11 related is also very difficult and requires information that can prove the correlation.

Work Cited

Mohney, Gillian, “9/11 First Responders Battle Toxic Exposures 15 Years Later,” abcnews.com, Sep 11, 2016, 11/09/17.

Ramsey, Lydia, “Why people are still getting sick 16 years after 9/11,” businessinsider.com, Sep. 11, 2017, Henry Blodget, 11/09/17.