The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act passes the congress on Christmas Eve 2010.
Before Congress could leave for Christmas break this week, the Senate barely managed to pass a bill giving health benefits to the first responders that worked in the ruins left by the 911 attack, better known as Ground Zero.
While the results of this bill is only half the value Democrats has originally designed it to be, it was passed only because of the mass attention drawn to it in the last week by comedian Jon Stewart. This bill has been lingering for years in various committees and for all practical purposes appeared dead last week.
The Next Attack on Neighbors who were near the World Trade Center on 9/11
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All the first responders to the attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11 as well as the entire population of lower Manhattan and surrounding boroughs who inhaled the dust created by the collapse of those two buildings are at high risk of attack by getting an insidious disease!
Ground Zero: the Twin Towers burn after the attack of 9/11/2001 before the Statue of Liberty
What disease is most associated with extreme exposure to and inhalation of asbestos dust? Mesothelioma Cancer!
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The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 caused much devastation and loss of life. Only now is it being revealed that there is a pending second attack to come upon many people with a long-term, painful consequence and continuous devastation.
Mesothelioma is an insidious lung cancer which is frequently found in people who have been exposed to asbestos particle dust. The risk of getting mesothelioma has significantly increased for the many people who were first responders to the World Trade Center attack of 9/11, as well as the immediate human population occupying lower Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs because they inhaled the asbestos dust particles created by the collapse of those great, two buildings.
Asbestos is an organic fibrous mineral that has been commonly used for years in construction projects for its fireproofing qualities and as thermal insulation as well as other applications. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were built in 1966 through 1971 when asbestos usage and sales where at their highest. There is now a growing body of evidence with estimates that the World Trade Center construction project called for the use of 5,000 tons of asbestos fireproofing-materials. Fortunately, the contractors for building the Twin Towers project discontinued use of asbestos-containing insulation when they came to know about the hazards and health risks of asbestos. The understanding about asbestos and how it causes mesothelioma was just beginning. As this realization occurred, the contractors had completed only 64 of the 110-stories in the two towers. While a portion of the asbestos material scheduled to be put into the buildings was stopped, current estimates are that 2,000 tons of asbestos remained within the buildings that became a giant particle dust cloud covering the neighborhood at the time of the 9/11 attack.
When destroyed or disturbed, asbestos becomes a problem in that its fibers become airborne where they are easily inhaled or ingested. The microscopic asbestos fibers are sharp and needle-like which penetrate the body’s soft tissues. The pleural cavity with the lungs is especially vulnerable with its special membrane called the mesothelium. The mesothelium protects the lungs, heart and abdominal area. But the carcinogenic characteristic of asbestos frequently leads to malignant mesothelioma and other diseases.
All eye witness accounts seen on television and by everyone who was near the World Trade Center when the towers collapsed knows, there were giant, thick clouds of pollution and debris covering the lower end of Manhattan. The location where the two towers stood is now called Ground Zero and was covered by particle dust and debris. There are estimates set at 600,000 as the number of people exposed to the cloud of asbestos contaminants. In addition to the asbestos contaminants, there was heavy metal in the dust like mercury, zinc, lead and barium. These dust particles remained in the air and on surfaces for weeks after this tragic event for everyone to inhale and be exposed to. It was discovered that a shirt worn by a response worker at Ground Zero had 93,000 times more asbestos stuck in it than found in the average air concentration of major cities.
The people who escaped the collapsing buildings and the first responders who rushed toward the fallen buildings in a valiant attempt to help others have received a high level of exposure to asbestos. Some of the first responders who were summoned to the scene were equipped with respirators and protective clothing, such as the many firefighters.
This fireman sucks in a lot of dangerous dust in his effort to lead more help.
However, the majority of people near this event did not have any protection from asbestos inhalation. This includes onlookers, police, health-care providers, volunteers, employees for the many companies who occupied the World Trade Center and of course all the people in businesses near the attack site who attempted to escape the catastrophe. Imagine running and breathing in that contaminated dust with every effort made to escape with your life!
Repeated exposure or high levels of exposure to asbestos has been proven to be directly associated with mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma has a delayed latency period before it reveals itself and therefore afflicted people do not exhibit mesothelioma symptoms for years, sometimes decades after their exposure to asbestos. This is very troublesome for everyone near the Twin Towers at the time of the attack that got exposed to the dust cloud.
People can live with mesothelioma cancer and have no clue until a diagnosis is eventually made which could be 40 or more years after inhaling the asbestos fibers. There is no way at this time to know exactly how many of the responders, rescue personnel and bystanders contracted mesothelioma because the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11 is so recent.
Many first responders and people living in the neighborhood of Ground Zero will eventually have Mesothelioma like this image.
Many of the symptoms for mesothelioma are difficult to distinguish from other, more common lung ailments. These include difficult breathing, wheezing or coughing, and chest pain only to mention a few key symptoms. Therefore, the estimated number of 9/11 victims suffering with mesothelioma can only be speculative at this time. There are recent statistics concerning the health problems of those who were near or at Ground Zero during the terrorist attacks.
For example, in 2008 the New York State Department of Health estimated that 200 people died from exposure to the pollutants at Ground Zero. At least 55 of those cases were victims of lung cancer. As many as 62 percent of the people exposed to the contaminant filled dust cloud have reported experiencing respiratory problems created from the 9/11 attacks.
People diagnosed with mesothelioma have a few options for treatment, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and palliative care. The sooner mesothelioma is diagnosed, better are the chances for treatment to effectively stop the disease. If you or someone you know was at the Twin Towers scene during the attacks or within weeks thereafter, please encourage them to become mesothelioma aware and have a doctor immediately screen them for this insidious, deadly cancer.
You will find much more information regarding mesothelioma, the history of asbestos, and a list of existing therapies as well as new clinical trials for new treatments at our central web site: Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America – www.mesorfa.org
Dr. Parkash S. Gill, MD, Oncologist
Our clinical oncologist and lead research director will freely answer your questions, too.
Ask Dr. Gill about mesothelioma and his upcoming Phase III clinical trial of Veglin, a non-chemotherapy treatment. Just click on his Ask Dr. Gill link to send your question, now!
