9/11 Firefighters at Increase Cancer Risk

Firefighters exposed to toxic fumes from ground zero during 9/11 are more likely to develop cancer, according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal. The study revealed that those working at the site surrounding the World Trade Center towers are 19% more likely to get a cancer diagnosis when compared to firefighters not working at ground zero.

The authors of the study suggested that the latency period—the time between exposure to a carcinogen and the development of the disease—may have been especially rapid due to the sheer amount of chemicals contained in ground zero dust. Cancer-causing compounds such as the asbestos that coated the Trade Center buildings’ lower columns and benzene, a component of jet fuel, may have accelerated the development of cancer among 9/11 responders.

The study arrives in the wake of debates about the medical coverage needed for responders who developed cancer. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, passed by Congress in December 2010, is designed to provide medical services and compensation for responders who were exposed to dangerous toxins while working at ground zero. But the bill does not cover cancer, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the agency evaluating which illnesses will be covered under the Zadroga Act, determined no connection between exposure to cancer and dust.

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