Mesothelioma: Personal Injury from Asbestos Continues Harming 9/11 First Responders
Fifteen years ago, around 410,000 people were exposed to a host of toxins, including over 400 tons of asbestos, during the rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts that followed the World Trade Center disaster on September 11th. Today, personal injuries like mesothelioma cancers, asthma and other health issues related to exposure to asbestos and other dangerous materials continue to plague the victims and heroes of that fateful day at alarming rates. According to The Mesothelioma Center:Exposure to asbestos can cause life-threatening illnesses such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. These diseases normally take between 20 and 50 years to display symptoms. But in 2006 – five years after inhaling the toxic debris from Ground Zero – an emergency responder from 9/11 died of mesothelioma. Another worker, 41-year-old Deborah Reeve, developed a serious cough just two years after the attacks and died of mesothelioma in 2004.
New York, NY, September 18, 2001 -- A health professional treats a New York City firefighter during a break from his recovery work at the World Trade Center disaster site. Photo by Michael Rieger/ FEMA News Photo Even though it’s banned in 54 other countries, Americans all over the United States are still exposed to asbestos every day:
- OSHA fined US Steel in Pittsburgh $170,000 in July 2016 for exposing workers to asbestos during operations
- A report released December 2015 reveals that about two-thirds of U.S. schools still harbor asbestos
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has failed at an attempt to ban asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) since 1989
- Veterans are at a higher risk to asbestos-related diseases due to the extensive use of asbestos by the U.S. military between 1900 and the 1970’s