9/11 Victim Compensation Fund
Reports conducted by the EPA led first responders and residents to believe there was no immediate danger from the dust that erupted after the twin towers collapsed. The EPA stated that the air in Manhattan was safe to breathe in as little as 2 days after 9/11.
Unfortunately, countless health issues have emerged as a result of people inhaling the resulting dust from the collapse of the World Trade Centers—mostly respiratory diseases including asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was signed into law in 2011 to help the victims of exposure to the toxins released on 9/11. The act pays tribute to James Zadroga, the first 9/11 responder to die from an exposure related illness. The act was approved for five years and will hopefully be renewed to continue helping 9/11 first responders and survivors who may develop an exposure-related illness in the future.
Countless people have been treated under 9/11 health programs, and it is likely the program will need to be expanded in the future due to the latency period of development of cancers like mesothelioma.
Who Is At Risk?
Anyone in lower Manhattan at the time of the Twin Towers collapsing was at risk of asbestos exposure. The groups of people in this are consisted of first responders, survivors and residents.
First Responders and Survivors
First responders are the heroes who were active in the rescue effort following the collapse of the twin towers. These people include firefighters, emergency workers, police and even some private citizens.
Of course, the majority of first responders and survivors were completely unaware of the danger they faced by breathing in the toxins that were released in the wake of the collapse. Most first responders and survivors had no respiratory protection.
Residents of Lower Manhattan
Unfortunately, to the risk and potential detriment of Manhattanites, the areas that were blanketed in the toxic dust were not immediately closed. At the time the EPA had deemed lower Manhattan and other nearby boroughs as safe to inhabit.
Asbestos fibers, however, are so minuscule that they can remain airborne for days at a time. This created a serious risk of asbestos exposure to those who lived in areas coated by dust and debris, not to mention exposure to many other toxic chemicals.
Asbestos in the World Trade Centers
Asbestos was the most talked about toxin following 9/11. However, the risk was largely unknown to the public or at least downplayed as nothing to be concerned about.
Construction on the twin towers began in the spring of 1966, before any regulations had been placed on the use of asbestos. The lower columns of the World Trade Centers in Manhattan were coated with literally tons of asbestos—between 400 and 1,000 tons.
At the time, asbestos was considered a safe fire retardant. Asbestos was not used in the upper columns of the towers.
There was initially some controversy over the risk of asbestos exposure among first responders, survivors and residents due to the seemingly minute levels of asbestos released into the air as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There was controversy about whether or not the levels of asbestos in the air posed a threat to anyone in the vicinity of the collapse.
There is, however, no safe level of asbestos exposure. It turns out that 35% of dust samples taken by the EPA just days after 9/11 contained unsafe levels of asbestos. Some areas of Manhattan were found to have very high concentrations of asbestos. This means there was a palpable risk of asbestos exposure for all those in Manhattan in the days after 9/11.
Reports conducted by the EPA led first responders and residents to believe there was no immediate danger from the dust that erupted after the twin towers collapsed. The EPA stated that the air in Manhattan was safe to breathe in as little as 2 days after 9/11.
Unfortunately, countless health issues have emerged as a result of people inhaling the resulting dust from the collapse of the World Trade Centers—mostly respiratory diseases including asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was signed into law in 2011 to help the victims of exposure to the toxins released on 9/11. The act pays tribute to James Zadroga, the first 9/11 responder to die from an exposure related illness. The act was approved for five years and will hopefully be renewed to continue helping 9/11 first responders and survivors who may develop an exposure-related illness in the future.
Countless people have been treated under 9/11 health programs, and it is likely the program will need to be expanded in the future due to the latency period of development of cancers like mesothelioma.
Who Is At Risk?
Anyone in lower Manhattan at the time of the Twin Towers collapsing was at risk of asbestos exposure. The groups of people in this are consisted of first responders, survivors and residents.
First Responders and Survivors
First responders are the heroes who were active in the rescue effort following the collapse of the twin towers. These people include firefighters, emergency workers, police and even some private citizens.
Of course, the majority of first responders and survivors were completely unaware of the danger they faced by breathing in the toxins that were released in the wake of the collapse. Most first responders and survivors had no respiratory protection.
Residents of Lower Manhattan
Unfortunately, to the risk and potential detriment of Manhattanites, the areas that were blanketed in the toxic dust were not immediately closed. At the time the EPA had deemed lower Manhattan and other nearby boroughs as safe to inhabit.
Asbestos fibers, however, are so minuscule that they can remain airborne for days at a time. This created a serious risk of asbestos exposure to those who lived in areas coated by dust and debris, not to mention exposure to many other toxic chemicals.
Asbestos in the World Trade Centers
Asbestos was the most talked about toxin following 9/11. However, the risk was largely unknown to the public or at least downplayed as nothing to be concerned about.
Construction on the twin towers began in the spring of 1966, before any regulations had been placed on the use of asbestos. The lower columns of the World Trade Centers in Manhattan were coated with literally tons of asbestos—between 400 and 1,000 tons.
At the time, asbestos was considered a safe fire retardant. Asbestos was not used in the upper columns of the towers.
There was initially some controversy over the risk of asbestos exposure among first responders, survivors and residents due to the seemingly minute levels of asbestos released into the air as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There was controversy about whether or not the levels of asbestos in the air posed a threat to anyone in the vicinity of the collapse.
There is, however, no safe level of asbestos exposure. It turns out that 35% of dust samples taken by the EPA just days after 9/11 contained unsafe levels of asbestos. Some areas of Manhattan were found to have very high concentrations of asbestos. This means there was a palpable risk of asbestos exposure for all those in Manhattan in the days after 9/11.
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