Report offers new information on health impact of 9/11 attacks on FDNY first responders
A report released Tuesday is offering a new glimpse into the health impact the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks continue to have on FDNY first responders 25 years later.
The FDNY World Trade Center Health Program report sheds light on the long-term health impact on those who took the call in rescue and recovery efforts.
On 9/11, 343 firefighters lost their lives. Since then, more than 600 FDNY members have died from related illnesses.
"Sadly, we know that 9/11 was not a one-day event for our department," FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said.
"People forget how dense this dust was, inhaled, filled with particulate matter and toxins," FDNY Chief Medical Officer David J. Prezant said.
Cancer is still a major issue plaguing responders 25 years later. Non-melanoma skin cancers and prostate cancers are among the most diagnosed.
One silver lining is survival rates have surged.
On average, five years after a cancer diagnosis, 86% of WTC cancer patients in the WTC Health Program were alive. For non-9/11-related cancer patients in New York state, the survival rate after five years was 63%.
"And it's because the World Trade Center Health Program believes in this holistic approach, monitoring early diagnosis, early treatment," Prezant said.
The report also finds there are newly emerging conditions among first responders, including cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid autoimmune diseases. The report says 43% are reporting at least one cognitive concern.
Attorney Michael Barasch, whose law firm represents thousands of people enrolled in the WTC Health Program, says the data could open the door to more coverage.
"So if this gives us any evidence that autoimmune illnesses, heart illnesses, perhaps dementia [are related to 9/11] ... We would welcome this information," he said.
"We're going to keep trying," Prezant said.
The city's Department of Investigation announced this week it has received a budget of $3.8 million to support their ongoing investigation on what the city may have known about the toxins produced by the 9/11 terror attacks.