Plea for help for 9/11 cancer victims

Politicians, police and fire chiefs urge end to ‘inhumane’ rules on funding for 9/11 cancer victims ahead of 10th anniversary Politicians, firefighters and police chiefs gathered at Ground Zero ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to call for an end to the “inhumane” rules under which rescue workers who worked amid the toxic rubble and who have developed cancer are ineligible for help with their medical bills. Over the past decade, most of the millions of dollars spent on helping treat sick Ground Zero workers has been focused on respiratory problems and mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Cancer treatment has been specifically excluded from federal health funding, with officials arguing there has been insufficient evidence to prove any direct link between the toxins present at the site and the disease. But last week the results of the first large-scale study, published in the Lancet , found that firefighters who were involved on the day of the attacks and in the weeks that followed had a 19% higher risk of contracting cancer. The study looked at 9,800 male firefighters, comparing those present during and after the attacks with those who were not involved. Carolyn Maloney, who represents a New York district in Congress, said the study provided enough solid evidence for cancer to be included on the list of eligible conditions for federal funding. She was an author of the Zadroga Act introduced in January that provides federal money for 9/11-related treatment. The act excludes cancer, devoting its $4.3bn funds to the treatment and compensation of people with breathing disorders and mental health problems. But it does include a clause that allows new sicknesses to be added to its remit as and when scientific evidence becomes available. “Those who are suffering need treatment now,” Maloney said. Maloney, along with other members of Congress, are petitioning John Howard, the administrator of the Zadroga Act, to have the law amended to include cancer. He has 90 days to respond to the request. Fellow petitioner Jerrold Nadler, who represents the Ground Zero area of Manhattan in Congress, called the exclusion of cancer sufferers “inhumane”. “People all around us are getting sick and some are tragically dying. For those who are sick with cancer it’s infuriating to see the foot-dragging in making the link between Ground Zero and the disease.” Seventy thousand people took part in the Ground Zero operation, including firefighters, police and construction workers. They worked on the “pile”, the 1.8m tonnes of debris that formed once the Twin Towers collapsed. Environmental dangers at the site included 90,000 litres of jet fuel from the two stricken planes, as well as about 1,000 tonnes of asbestos, pulverised lead, mercury and other highly toxic chemicals. John Feal, a construction worker who was injured during the 9/11 clean-up, said he had attended 54 funerals of those present at Ground Zero over the past five years, 52 of whom had died with 9/11-related cancers. He said he planned to launch a popular campaign that would force the Obama administration to change the rules. “You can blame a lot of this on the terrorists who attacked us that day, but you can also blame a lot on the federal government.” Patrick Lynch, who heads a New York police officers’ union, said: “On September 11, we rescued you. Now it’s your turn to rescue us – New York city police officers who are sick and dying.” September 11 2001 Health United States Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 7, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.