Each Year, More 9/11 Survivors Die of Malignant Mesothelioma

Every year since 2001, the nation pauses to remember those who died in the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center on September 11th. And every year, the number of actual victims of those attacks grows as a result of people dying from related diseases, including malignant mesothelioma. Many believe that by the time the 20th anniversary rolls around, the number of victims who’ve died since  the attack will equal the number who died on the day of the attack.

Asbestos in the World Trade Center Buildings

Malignant mesothelioma is not the only illness that has been a latecomer to the list of 9/11 tragedies. There are far more who have been struck by melanoma and prostate cancer. But all of the deaths and illnesses that have been attributed to breathing in contaminated air and dust after the towers fell have been blamed on the toxic mix of asbestos, glass, concrete, and countless other hazardous materials.

No air samples were taken on 9/11 or the days that followed, but there is no doubt that malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and other diseases with long latencies are on the rise since the tragedy occurred, and most health professionals expect there to be a sharp spike in the number of diagnoses in the next several years. Mesothelioma has a latency period that often leads to diagnosis coming forty years after exposure. Other illnesses are already being seen, and have already claimed many lives.

World Trade Center Health Program continues seeing cancer diagnoses

In the years since the towers fell, close to 90,000 people have signed up with the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides treatment for a variety of conditions attributed to the tragedies. More than ten percent of the conditions being treated are cancers, and that includes the extremely rare condition called malignant mesothelioma, which is specifically caused by exposure to asbestos.

Where skin cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancers and other forms of the disease are being diagnosed with some frequency, it is expected that the majority of mesothelioma victims will not begin to be seen for another ten to twenty years.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma or has a known exposure to asbestos, you understand what it is like to live under a cloud of uncertainty. For help in getting the resources you need, contact our Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.

Written by Terri Oppenheimer

Terri Heimann Oppenheimer is the head writer of our Mesothelioma.net news blog. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in English. Terri believes that knowledge is power and she is committed to sharing news about the impact of mesothelioma, the latest research and medical breakthroughs, and victims’ stories.

Learn more about and contact Terri