Editorial

Congress must renew the Zadroga Act

Posted

After the World Trade Center collapsed in a fireball on Sept. 11, 2001, a cloud of toxic dust enveloped Lower Manhattan. That dust contained a witches’ brew of cancer-causing agents, including jet fuel, cement dust, asbestos, silica, microscopic glass shards, heavy metals and pulverized construction materials, according to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the terrible days and weeks after the attacks, thousands of firefighters, police officers and construction workers, from not only New York but around the country, sifted through the soot-laden remains of the Twin Towers. In the initial frantic rush to clear debris in the hope of finding someone, anyone, alive, many responders forwent respirators, giving little to no thought to the airborne dangers around them.

Since then, some 60 cancers related to 9/11 dust have been identified, and more than 3,600 people have been diagnosed with 9/11-related illnesses, according to the New York State AFL-CIO and the office of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. An estimated 900 New York City firefighters and 550 police officers are struggling with those illnesses, and 70 firefighters and 60 police officers have died.

Thirty thousand first responders and construction workers suffered at least one injury while working at ground zero. Another 60,000 are being monitored for signs of illness.

They deserve all the medical attention and long-term care that a grateful nation can provide. They served their country admirably. New York City was, in many ways, a war zone in the aftermath of the attacks. Our first responders and construction workers came to the rescue. They demonstrated resolve and courage –– American grit. They restored normalcy to a city on edge. They are our heroes.

Strangely, however, there are those in Congress who balk at the notion of providing lifetime health benefits for those 9/11 workers. Where will the money come from? they wonder.

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