ME Claims 9/11 Cop Died From Drug Misuse

Detective's Parents Counter With Medical Expert Who Says Deadly Air At Ground Zero Killed Cop

(CBS)  By CBSNews.com's Stephen Smith

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New York City's medical examiner ruled that a retired detective died last year from misusing drugs - not from toiling for 420 hours in the ruins of the World Trade Center, the cop's family revealed Thursday.

Charles Hirch's ruling on James Zadroga came five months after Zadroga's parents, Joseph and Linda Zadroga, had given their son's autopsy report to the medical examiner in a bid to have their son's name added to the official list of Sept. 11 victims.

Despite Hirsch's ruling, the city's former medical examiner, Dr. Michael Baden, disputed the claim. Baden said that the 34-year-old Zadroga's death was indeed linked to his exposure to the toxic debris at ground zero.

"There's no evidence of any drug addiction," Baden said, who added that all the evidence supports that Zadroga "died of chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust" at the ground zero site.

When Hirsch ruled Zadroga's death was unrelated to 9/11, Zadroga's parents enlisted Baden for a second opinion.

Baden spoke Thursday at an interview conducted at the Manhattan office of Michael Barasch, the lawyer for Zadroga's parents. A producer from CBSNews.com and reporter from the Associated Press attended the session.

Last week, Hirsch wrote a letter to Zadroga's parents stating "with certainty beyond doubt, that the foreign material in your son's lungs did not get there from the result of inhaling dust at the World Trade Center or elsewhere."

In a private meeting, Hirsch later told the family he believed Zadroga died of drug misuse - most likely by grinding up his medication and injecting it intravenously. There was no claim of any illegal drug abuse. Zadroga was taking 14 medications, including two intravenously, at the time of his death, but all were administered by family, according to his father.

Hirsch apparently cited the talc and cellulose present in Zadroga's lungs as evidence of injecting ground-up pills.

But Baden, who reviewed Zadroga's tissue slides, autopsy report and medical records, dismissed this claim.

"Talc and cellulose are ubiquitous," he said, noting such materials could have come from furniture at the World Trade Center. He also said there was no evidence of the scarring that would have accompanied repeated injections.

Zadroga has emerged as a symbol for the plight of thousands of ground zero workers whose health rapidly deteriorated after their long days toiling in the rubble at ground zero. Zadroga spent more than 400 hours sifting through the smoldering ruins, and by the first anniversary of the attack was plagued by a constant cough.

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Read the story of NYPD Detective James Zadroga.

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Hirsch reviewed Zadroga's tissue slides and autopsy report, but not all of the detective's medical records, which Dr. Baden said can render an incomplete picture.

"Autopsies can't be done in a vacuum," he said.

Baden said the lack of scars or needle tracks - and Zadroga's clean bill of health prior to Sept. 11 2001 - further undermine Hirsch's ruling. But Hirsch maintains that the foreign matter in the cop's lungs "entered his body via the bloodstream and not via the airways,'' his spokeswoman told the AP.

"I suspect that there may not be a 100 percent definitive answer here," said Dr. Stephen D. Cohle, chief medical examiner of Kent County (Grand Rapids) Michigan.

Cohle, who knows both Dr. Hirsch and Dr. Baden but is not involved in this case, said that foreign materials that are mixed with injected drugs display a very specific appearance - and likely wouldn't be mistaken by someone as experienced as Hirsch. However, Cohle noted that it's unusual for chronic IV abuse to cause fatal lung disease.

Cohle also said Zadroga's heart condition can offer clues. According to the autopsy report, the right side of Zadroga's heart had swelled to twice its normal size - a condition known as right ventricular enlargement.

"Right ventricular enlargement is much more common with exposure to dusts and other occupational exposure," Cohle said.

Earlier this year, Hirsch ruled that an attorney who died of a lung disease after being caught in the World Trade Center collapse could be added to the victims list - the first time a person who died from a 9/11-linked illness was included in the official tally.

Baden said he supported a New Jersey medical examiner's ruling that Zadroga's death was "directly related" to his work at the World Trade Center site. Dr. Gerard Breton, who performed the autopsy, found that Zadroga died in January 2006 of respiratory failure caused by panlobar granulomatous pneumonitis (history of exposure to toxic fumes and dusts).

The autopsy results were the first scientific evidence blaming a death directly on ground zero exposure. Lawmakers and health advocates regularly cite his case as a key example of post-Sept. 11 illnesses when lobbying for billions of dollars to fund research and continuing care.

Joseph Zadroga has become a prominent advocate for sick ground zero workers, and he broke down in tears last year before a congressional panel convened to study Sept. 11 health.

[Krazcarl]

Whatitthink...My dad was in the marines so I know the cadince your speaking of...one for fighting one for fun am I right?

[kewlchat-2009]

I think its a shame this guy is a hero and being treated like hes a drugg addict thats just plain wrong.. obviously they admin is afraid they will ahve to pay all thw rokers for their illnesses so they useing anything for an excuse..

[l8c6]

It''s a good time to review the ethics of many a medical doc in Germany during the time of the third reich. Visiting a concentration camp in Germany and those European nations affected, and reading the accounts is eye opening.

The claims by this doc from his biased assessment is strikingly disturbing.

[Krazcarl]

slipster00... You don''t deserve a 1 that man spent 420 hours digging though dusty contaminated air in the hopes of rescuing someone while you sat on your hinny watching it on TV and your afraid his family might be entitled to some compensation what is the matter with you the man died he''s entitled so in your book it''s OK for the ME to call him a drug addict so he gets no compensation, When your trapped in rubble is that what you want your salvation to think, your a very small man.

[redbarron73]

Feelfree1, the movie at www.zeitgeistmovie.com is very good. I would also like to direct anyone who would like to know how the twin towers really collapsed to http://911blogger.com/node/10025. This is a VERY thorough presentation by Richard Gage, a registered architect who, in march 2006, founded a group called "Architects & Engineers for 911 Truth." Since then over 200 prominent architects and engineers have joined this organization demanding a new independent investigation of the 9/11 tragedy. If any rational human can watch this presentation and not see the obvious, then go bury your head back in the sand.

[jacksteen1]

Isn''t this just wonderful ? The state of New York and/or the City of New York and/or the Port Authority using this hero''s death as an example and a template of how they are going to try to wriggle out of paying heirs and assigns the money owed them as a result of 9/11.

What a fantastic platform for Rudy Judy Nathan Guiliani to run for President on - "I will cheat the REAL heroes and yet call myself a HERO." Filthy Republishit swine.

Stop the ********* and pay up!

[garsh548]

The quality of the air could have been checked to find out what the ground zero people were working in. Maybe a lot was learned this to the same thing from happening again. Let''s hope.

[garsh548]

USAwatchman, I agree with you. You were right, Respirators were needed. No one should have worked in that area without respirators on. Careful planning should have taken place before entering that area.

[garsh548]

The next time we have something like 9-11, careful planning is necessary. There is going to be more deaths associated with 9-11 because of Lung Disease from being in all that dust without proper breathing devices. God bless all those heroes or heroesses.

[whatithink-2009]

FeelFree1,

LOL

I think the problem is that they really, really want it. However, since they can''t get it (either quantity or quality), they need to make everyone else miserable.

[garsh548]

The day of 9-11 with all the dust, being a medical professional, I knew like many other medical professionals, a lot people was going to have chrontic lung disease. The city of New York owe a lots to the people working at ground zero.

[feelfree1]

whatithink,

Re: "Maybe you uptight s-e-x-l-e-s-s Christian Conservatives are worried about BJs in the White House."

Just to clarify, by "s-e-x-l-e-s-s", do you mean that that they''re not getting any, or their genetalia is indeterminate?

[norcaljs]

I would say that it is a tragedy that this man died and suffered as he did through to the end of his life. If it is indeed from his work at Ground Zero then he should be added to the list. I know I will get flamed for this but I just don''t buy into the conspiracy theories about the Bush Admin and the EPA although it does seem like someone in the EPA screwed up. I also know first responders and they will rush into a burning building to save someone without concern for personal safety. I wonder how much of the desire to help rescue those that were trapped may have outweighed any long term side effect concerns...My 2 cents

[slipster01]

Why doesn''t anyone bring up this point?
"Zadroga''s parents, Joseph and Linda Zadroga, had given their son''s autopsy report to Hirsch in a bid to have their son''s name added to the official list of Sept. 11 victims."

''in a bid to have their son''s name added to the official list of Sept. 11 victims''???

If they can get his name on the list, they are eligible for millions of dollars from the U.S. government as survivors of a 9/11 victim!

The average payout has been about 1.8 million per victim. My question is, did the man apply for compensation as a victim BEFORE he dies, or is this his parent''s idea AFTER he died?

[gmond]

Zadroga became ill after working in the ruins post-9/11, but misused the drugs prescribed for his illnesses caused by working in the ruins post-9/11, so working in the ruins post-9/11 was not the cause of his death.
Uhh, OK.

[whatithink-2009]

padams1010,

Maybe you uptight s-e-x-l-e-s-s Christian Conservatives are worried about BJs in the White House. If our current administration had more of them, we probably would not be at war right now in a country that did nothing to us.

Only you puritans think war is more godlike than s-e-x. You guys need to learn the difference between a gun and a rifle. It''s your lack of using the former that makes you so obsessed with the latter.

[rfcnj68]

I feel really bad for the family that this ME is a complete idiot, his only concern here is to make NYC politicians look good.

I do believe that the ME is an appointed position so gee why would he try to dispute the original autopsy?

As far as the EPA goes I think their direction was to give a clean bill of health to the area so the city could be reopened. No I have seen one of the videos of the sampling technique they used for asbestos and I spent 10 years in that industry as a hygienist let me tell you when I heard them say the air results in part per million I thought I would die. The reason I say this is because if they were doing the proper test the results would have be in structures or fibers per cc not PPM.

The other thing I have to say is that when I watched the police and firefighters walking around without SCUBA gear for breathing I was shocked with the amount of particulate that was in the air they should have been in SCUBA or type C reparatory protection at all times. This is just one mans opinion

[usawatchman]

I can''t even begin how many BUREAUCRATS (White House, FBI, ..etc)
I told around 911 for those people to have real
RESPIRATORS,
and NO ONE DID ANYTHING TO HELP THESE PEOPLE

[Krazcarl]

This is shoking the man put 420 hours in at ground zero, There to sorry to put his name on a plaque. There afraid of future litagation on this matter I believe. So their throwing this man to the wolves and slandering his name. Where is the mayor the governor the president{stupid question I know unfortunatly}. Now whenever there is kaos no will help cause they see how there treated. I''m insulted as a american and a man. Someone help this family he was a hero I don''t have the means.

[padams1010]

OMG!! I just wished President Bush had all the power you Bush Haters claim he has! Who on earth are you going to blame once he is out of office?? Oh ... I know ... will have a new Clinton in office where it is ok to have *** in the Oval Office and then go on air and lie to the country!! THAT''S what made you people happy!! Let''s do it again!!