“Two decades after foreign terrorists attacked Americans on U.S. soil, the impact of Sept. 11, 2001, is still being felt today. Hundreds of thousands of people remain at risk due to the trauma and exposure to toxic air following each attack. Carcinogens from building materials, gases and jet fuel laced the air around each crash site, with the most severe toxicity among the ruins of the World Trade Center towers in New York City.

An estimated 410,000 first responders, cleanup crews and survivors spent days and weeks breathing in air heavy with toxins from 400 tons of crushed concrete, glass and asbestos at Ground Zero. Exposure to contaminated air and toxic chemicals created a growing list of health concerns for many of the men and women who were there, with some illnesses such as mesothelioma taking approximately 20 years to develop.

To date, more people have now died from this toxic exposure than in the 9/11 attacks. Although 2,974 people lost their lives that day, 4,343 survivors and first responders have died in the years since, according to the World Trade Center Health Program.

Respiratory diseases and cancer have caused the most deaths among first responders over the past 20 years. The toxic cloud of dangerous particles inhaled by so many first responders made their bodies more susceptible to these illnesses. To date, 1,469 WTCHP members have died from 9/11-related airway and digestive disorders, while 1,366 died from related cancers.”

Asbestos.com – brought to you by The Mesothelioma Center. (20 Years Later: The Lingering Health Effects of 9/11)