According to new CDC data and researchers who track 9/11 survivors’ long-term illnesses, mesothelioma is disproportionately being diagnosed among those who have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program that was established in the aftermath of the September 11th terror attacks.
Mesothelioma Risk Traced to Toxic Dust Exposure
The World Trade Center Health Program was established to provide screening and care for those who survived, worked at, or were in the vicinity of the World Trade Center at the time of the 9/11 tragedy. Twenty-five years later, those analyzing the impact of the disaster have found that, in those enrolled in the program, mesothelioma has been diagnosed at a rate roughly three times higher than in the general population. Of the nearly 155,000 enrollees, there have been 38 cases of the rare, asbestos-related disease.
Mesothelioma is considered a “sentinel cancer” because it’s almost always caused by asbestos exposure. That’s why it has become one of the clearest signals scientists have that the toxic dust released when the towers collapsed is still causing harm. Dr. Jacqueline Moline of Northwell Health’s World Trade Center Health Program called the trend “a foreshadowing” of cancers yet to come, since mesothelioma’s latency period can stretch 25 to 50 years after exposure.
Mesothelioma Concerns Followed Flawed Government Testing and Reporting
Mesothelioma researchers point to the hundreds of tons of asbestos used as fireproofing in the towers, which was pulverized and scattered across much of Manhattan when the buildings fell. One person, who was a 23-year-old Lower Manhattan resident at the time of the attack, was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma 15 years later, showing the serious risk posed by having returned to apartments that were never professionally decontaminated.
In 2001, an EPA scientist calculated that a person who cleaned their own contaminated apartment and continued living there for 15 years faced a mesothelioma risk 1,000 times above the agency’s acceptable threshold. Mesothelioma risk was compounded by early government reassurances that turned out to be wrong. Newly released documents show the EPA relied on outdoor air samples and a less sensitive testing method, missing smaller asbestos fibers that a later, more sensitive technique detected at nine times the original count. Officials had told residents it was safe to clean their own homes with wet rags and HEPA vacuums, rather than requiring professional asbestos remediation.
Mesothelioma’s Long Reach Continues to Grow
Mesothelioma diagnoses tied to 9/11 are expected to keep climbing as survivors age and the decades-long latency period plays out. Enrollment in the health program continues at about 120 new patients a month, with survivors now outnumbering first responders among new sign-ups.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
