Health Troubles Persist for 9/11 Rescue Workers

[Guest guest]

* Health Troubles Persist for 9/11 Rescue Workers - USA Today, June 26, 2006

* PBA Blasts Hosp's 9/11 Health Monitoring - New York Post, June 25, 2006

* Police Union Plans WTC Health Registry - Associated Press, June 25, 2006

* Lawsuit Says Poisons Killed 57 at WTC Site - Daily News, June 23, 2006

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Health Troubles Persist for 9/11 Rescue Workers

By Armour

USA Today

June 26, 2006

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-06-25-911-health-usat_x.htm

It was late in the night when Zadroga, sleeping beside his

4-year-old daughter, woke up to fetch her some milk. It was no easy

errand: The former New York City police detective's lungs were so

scarred that he needed supplemental oxygen to breathe.

In 2001, after the attack on the World Trade Center, he'd donned a

paper mask and toiled at Ground Zero on rescue and recovery missions.

Then he developed a cough and damaged lungs. Four years later, the

34-year-old was dying.

Sometime in that January night, Zadroga fell to the bedroom floor. At

dawn, his father came into the room and found him, then gently woke

the girl to tell her that Zadroga was dead. Her bottle was still in

his hand. " I told her that her daddy has passed and she cried, 'No,

no, he's just sleeping, he just got up to get me a bottle,' " says

ph Zadroga, of Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J., who is now

raising his granddaughter, Tyler Ann. Her mother died two years

earlier.

An autopsy done by a New Jersey coroner attributed ' death to

dust from Ground Zero. He had never been a smoker and had no previous

respiratory problems. " No one should have to go through this, " his

father says.

Nearly five years after the terrorist attack, thousands of workers who

toiled at the World Trade Center site continue to experience health

problems, according to doctors at Mount Sinai Center for Occupational

& Environmental Medicine in New York.

Zadroga's death — the first death linked by an autopsy to toxins at

the site — has galvanized union leaders and politicians such as Sen.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., to call for more aid and

investigation.

Concern over ongoing ailments plaguing World Trade Center workers is

also leading to accusations that federal safety oversight at Ground

Zero was lax — a charge that federal officials vigorously deny.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials said in a statement

issued to USA TODAY in May that they responded immediately as events

unfolded, with the highest priority being to protect the environment

and health of the people of New York.

The agency took more than 10,000 samples of air, water and dust, which

yielded more than a quarter of a million results, and worked with

other federal agencies to caution that workers should wear protective

gear. Officials acknowledge that some workers from the site now are

ill.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed alleging that the agency made

false reassurances about the air quality at the site. No trial date

has been set.

" The EPA said there was no danger, but this was the perfect storm of

environmental toxins, and now we're paying the price, " says

Cahill, an air pollution expert and professor emeritus at the

University of California, , who studied the air quality around

Ground Zero. " It was wildly toxic, and the EPA knew that. Hopefully,

this will lead to a renewed effort not to forget these people. "

About 40,000 workers toiled at Ground Zero, including immigrant day

laborers, contractors, volunteers from other towns, paramedics,

firefighters and police officers. They carried out myriad tasks, from

digging through rubble in search of survivors to delivering ice and

water. It's uncertain how many may now be sick.

A medical screening and monitoring program coordinated by Mount Sinai

Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine in New York indicates

that more than half need immediate medical or mental health treatment.

The estimate is based on a sample of the 16,000 workers screened to

date. In fact, demand is so great that the waiting list for care

through an independent treatment program offered by Mount Sinai is 16

weeks. The study looks at those who worked at the site during or

shortly after the disaster.

Rare lung diseases emerge

One concern now is the emergence in first responders of rare

lung-scarring diseases that could be fatal, says Robin Herbert,

director of the World Trade Center program at Mount Sinai. Another

concern is the potential for an increased rate of cancer in coming

years. Asthma, chronic sinusitis and mental health problems also are

common among those who were first on the scene.

" It's tragic. Our work has identified large numbers of heavily exposed

workers who were never provided with appropriate respiratory

protection, " Herbert says. " A more vigorous public health approach

might have prevented illnesses we're seeing today. "

Glenn Greene, a Department of Justice lawyer representing former EPA

administrator Whitman, declined to comment on allegations

that safety precautions were lax, as did the DOJ's press office. " From

the moment the planes hit the World Trade Center, the men and women of

the (EPA) ... began to do everything in their power to protect the

people of New York, " Whitman said in a February statement.

The city of New York, which has also been criticized for its handling

of safety issues, said in a 2002 release from the law department that

it " did everything in its power to assist people " and that " decisions

were made with the best possible information available. "

Vinny Forras just doesn't want his sacrifices to be forgotten. He

believes more funding for treatment of first responders, as well as

some sort of memorial for those who die after 9/11 of diseases related

to exposure, is vital.

Forras, 48, was a volunteer firefighter at the South Salem (N.Y.) Fire

Department who was dispatched to the World Trade Center the day of the

attack. The first thing he saw was the firetruck that his best friend

had been riding in smashed by the debris from the collapsing towers;

his friend had been killed. Forras worked at the site night and day.

On his second day, he woke up at a triage center gasping for air; he

was given steroids by the medical staff, he said, and sent back to

work. At one point, Forras was working on rescue and recovery when he

tried to climb down a beam; instead, he found himself buried briefly

under the rubble. For an hour and a half, he says, he remained trapped

underground.

Three months later, his breathing problems began, he says. Forras, who

has never smoked, used to be able to run two or three miles a day.

Now, he can get winded walking from the car to his home, he says.

He uses steroids and inhalers to breathe, antidepressants to help

combat post traumatic stress disorder and sleep medications. He lives

on disability payments from workers' compensation and Social Security.

" It's very hard to see your own kids taking care of you, " says Forras,

founder of the Gear Up Foundation, a non-profit that donates fire

equipment, prevention and training around the world. " We humbly did

what we did. It was our job. But in 10, 15 years, we'll be ghosts.

We're the Ground Zero walking wounded. "

And that has become a growing fear: that some first responders at the

scene could develop lung diseases and other ailments that will kill

them — adding to the attack's death total. Many responders, such as

volunteers from other cities, may not realize their health problems

are related or get the assistance they need.

One million tons of dust

An estimated 1 million tons of dust rained down on the city and the

16-acre disaster zone, showering the area with asbestos, Freon,

carcinogens, concrete, glass fibers, lead and other hazards. Workers

inhaled caustic fine cement dust and a mixture of sulfuric acid, a

byproduct of combustion, which defeated the lungs' defense system and

allowed particles to become deeply embedded, Cahill says.

Worby, a lawyer in White Plains, N.Y., represents about 8,000

clients with health problems who are suing supervisors, the EPA, the

Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, contractors and others

involved in the cleanup. He says more than 50 families have lost loved

ones due to their Twin Towers work. No trial dates have been set.

" There are thousands of people who will get cancer and will die from

this, and the government isn't doing anything, " Worby says. " Every

week I get one or two calls from a cop saying, 'What do I do for my

wife and kids? I've just been diagnosed with leukemia or sarcoidosis

(an inflammation that creates scar tissue, often in the lungs).' "

The Port Authority declined to comment on any pending litigation.

There has been financial assistance, including a $125 million federal

package that will help fund a health registry of World Trade Center

first responders and nearby residents. The money includes $75 million

for screenings, exams and treatment for rescue and recovery workers,

as well as $50 million to the New York State Uninsured Employers Fund

for reimbursement of 9/11-related claims. But some, such as Mount

Sinai's Herbert, say more will be needed, because even a few severe

illnesses can run up staggering medical costs. An April study from the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than half of

survivors reported new or worsening respiratory symptoms after the

attacks.

EPA says it gave help

EPA officials say in a statement that the agency " provided masks and

goggles for rescuers and crew workers. EPA also encouraged rescue

workers to wet down the debris to help protect themselves from

asbestos, smoke and dust. "

The agency says it provided more than 22,000 respirators, more than

32,000 respirator cartridges and other protective gear and emphasized

the need for respiratory protection at daily operations meetings at

the site.

" As our nation continues its effort to keep Americans safe from future

attacks on our country, EPA remains passionately committed to

protecting the health of our citizens and our environment, " the agency

said in a statement.

But the EPA and other federal offices are coming under criticism for

their response.

In an 82-page pretrial ruling in a class-action lawsuit filed by

residents and workers in the area, U.S. District Court Judge Deborah

Batts said Whitman's " deliberate and misleading " statements about the

air quality " shocks the conscience. "

She also said in her February opinion that the EPA knew as soon as

Sept. 12, 2001 — the day after the attack — that one of the first air

samples contained an asbestos level four times higher than the EPA

threshold for danger. The judge was ruling on motions to dismiss

counts in the case; Batts agreed to let the lawsuit continue.

Whitman responded with a release that said, " every action taken by the

EPA during the response to this horrific event was designed to provide

the most comprehensive protection and the most accurate information to

the residents of Manhattan. To imply otherwise is completely

inaccurate. "

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PBA Blasts Hosp's 9/11 Health Monitoring

By Edelman and Carl Campanile

New York Post

June 25, 2006

http://www.n

ypost.com/news/regionalnews/pba_blasts_hosps_9_11_health_monitoring_regionalnews\

_susan_edelman________and_carl_campanile.htm

The nation's largest police union plans to launch its own medical

registry to track cancers and other life-threatening diseases hitting

9/11 responders, saying the federally funded World Trade Center

medical monitoring program has kept them in the dark.

" We need to find out what cancers and serious disorders are out there

so we know what to look for, " said Lynch, president of the

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. " Millions of dollars are being

spent, and we're getting no information. "

The PBA will soon post an online registry for cops who helped in the

9/11 rescue and recovery to record their cancers, heart attacks,

kidney failure and other illnesses, Lynch said.

" We have deaths now. We can't wait for information that can save other

lives, " he said.

The PBA's registry aims to include ill responders like ph

Wittleder, 44, an NYPD emergency-service detective who rushed to

Ground Zero on 9/11 and spent 12 to 14 hours a day for the next five

weeks digging in the toxic rubble.

The father of two toddlers, a nonsmoker, was diagnosed with kidney

failure in 2002. A transplant with a kidney from his wife, Michele,

was postponed this year when he came down with a severe lung disease.

He can't sleep lying down because of breathing difficulty and coughs

up " bags of blood, " his wife said.

" It's unbelievable that no one wants to acknowledge that guys are

getting this sick from 9/11, " she said.

Wittleder is set to get his first screening in the WTC program - which

is led by Mount Sinai Hospital - next week and join the nearly 16,000

responders who have already done so, including 5,800 checked twice.

One sick responder told The Post he tried unsuccessfully to log his

cancer with the program.

NYPD narcotics Detective Walcott, 41, was diagnosed with acute

leukemia in 2003 - two months after the WTC program gave him a clean

bill of health, he said. When he called the program to report it, he

said, the people who answered the phone repeatedly told him, " We're

not keeping any stats on that. "

Dr. Robin Herbert, incoming chief investigator and coordinator of the

WTC monitoring, said the staff is instructed to record such updates.

But the program - which has gotten $68 million in federal funds -

lacks data on cancers and other serious diseases, Herbert

acknowledged. When a comprehensive health exam finds possible

problems, like a growth, patients are referred to outside doctors for

further tests.

The program asks patients to report back on their final diagnoses -

but not all do, Herbert said. " I know we don't get all the

information, " she said.

Worby, a lawyer for 8,000 cops, firefighters and others in a

class-action suit against the city, said cancer has struck 300,

including 35 who died. Worby said the data is available to

authorities, but so far none has asked for it.

Meanwhile, some responders never signed up for a screening, including

Brooklyn NYPD Detective Marshall, 46, who worked at Ground Zero

three months and retired in 2002. The burly, 6-foot-6 smoker suffered

a massive heart attack in 2003 and was recently diagnosed with throat

and lymph-node cancer.

His wife, Debbie, called the city's WTC Health Registry, but said the

interviewer merely told her a new questionnaire would be sent out.

" They didn't seem to care. That blew me away, " she said.

susan.edelman@...

Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.

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Police Union Plans WTC Health Registry

The Associated Press

June 25, 2006

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/25/AR200606250046

6_pf.html

NEW YORK -- The nation's largest police union is considering setting

up a registry to track the health of officers who toiled amid the

rubble of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attack, a

spokesman said Sunday.

Health and government officials are trying to track the health effects

of the dense smoke and dust on thousands of emergency workers,

residents and others, and the Bush administration has appointed an

official to oversee the federal response.

But leaders of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association say they cannot

afford to wait for government registries to assess illnesses, such as

cancer and severe respiratory ailments, over periods of years.

" We understand that science takes time, but these officers don't have

time, " said PBA spokesman Al O'Leary. " Some have already died, and

those who are alive today need to know what kinds of symptoms they

should be watching for. "

In January, an autopsy concluded that the respiratory failure death of

34-year-old retired police detective Zadroga was " directly

related to the 9/11 incident. "

Dr. , the federal appointee, said recently that Zadroga's

death and others may be " warning cases to us that something might be

going on here. "

© 2006 The Associated Press

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Lawsuit Says Poisons Killed 57 at WTC Site

By Zambito

Daily News

June 23, 2006

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/429268p-361877c.html

Fifty-seven Ground Zero workers have died and thousands of others have

been sickened by exposure to a noxious mix of chemicals released when

the World Trade Center was reduced to smoldering rubble, their lawyer

said yesterday.

But in a courtroom blocks from the site, the city denied

responsibility, saying its contractors were acting in the nation's

defense as they worked to restore Ground Zero in the months after the

Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

" The city and the contractors stepped up to the plate on 9/11 and

worked 24/7 until the job was done, " city attorney Tyrrell told

Manhattan Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein. " They jumped in, no

questions asked, and did their duty. "

The city is trying to beat back a class-action lawsuit filed by some

8,000 workers and the families of the dead who claim the city, in its

haste to clear the site, exposed them to dangerous levels of asbestos,

lead and other toxins.

Dozens have died from cancers accelerated by respiratory diseases

brought on by their work at Ground Zero, said Worby, an attorney

who represents the plaintiffs. The sick include firefighters, cops,

construction workers and other emergency personnel.

Tyrrell argued that the city should be shielded from negligence claims

because it was in the midst of a national emergency that demanded a

" robust " response.

But Worby said Ground Zero ceased being an emergency site in the days

after the attacks when Bush administration officials declared air

quality at Ground Zero safe.

" At a certain point, the emergency ends and the regular rules have to

apply, " Worby said. " The tragedy is this is only the beginning [of the

number of] the people who are sick and dying. "

Hellerstein questioned Tyrrell about the " prolonged nature " of an

" emergency " cleanup that lasted eight months.

The city, together with the Port Authority and several other

defendants, will continue making its case before Hellerstein today.

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