Some 9/11 first responders are still waiting for medical treatment

Treating the many men and women who responded to the emergency situation following the 9/11 attacks and the collapse of the World Trade Center is an expensive businessâ€"so much so that many first responders are still waiting for medical treatment. Today, medical, health, and safety experts urged congress to approve new legislation which would help establish a permanent system of monitoring the health of first responders, and provide a permanent health care program for people exposed to the toxic atmosphere at Ground Zero. The collapse of the World Trade Center buildings created and dispersed enormous clouds of dust that were full of toxins and chemicals, including asbestos dust, lead dust, glass fibers, and toxic gases. As many as 100,000 responders, including paramedics, rescue workers, and firefighters, were exposed to the toxic mix. Many people who breathed in that dustâ€"including area residents and office workers and well as respondersâ€"have since developed serious health problems such as asbestosis and certain types of cancer. Exposure to the traumatic events of the day and the days after has also caused many people to suffer from anxiety, depression, and episodes of trauma. A study completed in 2006 by doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City found that a staggering 70% of responders they examined were suffering serious health problems as a result of their exposure. Nearly seven years after the tragedy, however, a guaranteed, comprehensive medical treatment program still does not exist. Even worse, funding for medical care for people who need such medical treatment has actually been cut over the last year. In 2007 congress approved $108 million to be spent on healthcare for 9/11 responders. In 2009 Bush cut that figure by 77%, to just $25 million. Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control announced it would contribute a grant of $30 million to New York hospitals providing medical treatment for people affected by health problems relating to 9/11. While these sums of money seem substantial, in the long term it’s nowhere near enough. In the two years following the attacks, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund paid more than $7 billion to almost 5,600 victims and survivors. However, because the fund was required by law to stop accepting claims in December 2003, people who developed disease symptoms after that date might be ineligible to claim. Some people have been driven to extreme measuresâ€"including lawsuitsâ€"to try and claim compensation to pay for medical expenses. Kenneth R. Feinberg, the administrator of the 9/11 compensation fund, believes that an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people may develop related health issues over the next five to ten years. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)