9/11 fi rst responders suffer heart issues: study
BY GABE HERMAN
A new study has found higher
levels of cardiovascular disease
among 9/11 fi rst responders,
and higher rates associated with spending
more time at Ground Zero.
The study, published this month in
JAMA (the peer-reviewed Journal of
the American Medical Association),
examined the health of nearly 9,800
New York City fi refi ghters who fi rst
arrived at the World Trade Center site
in the two weeks after 9/11. The study
looked at their health between Sept. 11,
2001 and Dec. 31, 2017.
Incident rates of cardiovascular disease
(CVD) were found to be higher
with greater WTC exposure, and those
who arrived earliest at the site had 44
percent higher rates for the disease
than those arriving later.
“Similarly,” the study noted, “those
who worked at the WTC site for 6 or
more months vs those who worked less
time at the site were more likely to have
a CVD event.” The increased likelihood
was by 30 percent, the study said.
The study noted that after the 9/11
attacks, the WTC site and surrounding
Lower Manhattan area had a big
dust cloud, “and created a hazardous
environment for fi rst responders, workers,
An Oct. 5, 2001 photo of Ground Zero included large dust clouds.
and area residents.” Previous CVD
studies have linked the disease generally
to environmental particulate matter
based on peoples’ exposure to air
pollution or traffi c exhaust.
“Among residents of neighborhoods
exposed to WTC dust,” the study said,
“CVD-related hospital admissions
increased soon after 9/11.”
Other studies have shown WTC exposure
COURTESY JASON SCOTT
to be associated with obstructive
airways disease, sinus disease
and other conditions including PTSD.
There are now 68 cancers linked to
9/11 among fi rst responders and the
nearby Lower Manhattan community,
according to attorney Michael Barasch.
He said he wasn’t surprised by the new
study’s fi ndings about CVD.
Barasch’s fi rm, Barasch & McGarry,
represents 15,000 people in the
9/11 community.
“A lot of them have had heart issues
over the years,” he said.
The WTC Health Program will have
to agree with the study’s fi nding for
CVD to be eligible for compensation,
Barasch noted. “So we’re a way’s away,
but this is the fi rst step,” he said.
Former FDNY Deputy Chief Richard
Alles, one of the thousands of fi rst
responders who worked at Ground
Zero following 9/11, also said he wasn’t
surprised by the study’s conclusions
about CVD.
“I’ve always suspected the heart
would be an issue that is 9/11-related,”
Alles said, adding that the stress of being
a fi rst responder could be another
possible contributor to heart problems.
Alles noted that previous health studies
have led to cancers being directly
linked to WTC exposure and then added
to the list of diseases that people
could be compensated for. “I can hopefully
envision this heart study having
the same impact,” Alles said, “leading
to coverage of heart problems.”
People can learn more about
eligibility for the Victim Fund at
911victims.com.
Read more at thevillager.com
Tunnel to Towers run honors 9/11 fi refi ghter
BY MARK HALLUM
The memory of Stephen Siller,
an FDNY fi refi ghter killed on
9/11, lives on as thousands of
runners turned out for the Tunnel to
Tower 5K in lower Manhattan.
Sunday, Sept. 29 saw runners in
wheelchairs and amputees staying
the course from the Ikea parking lot
in Red Hook to 1 Beard St. to keep
the memory of 9/11 victims alive and
to raise money for victim families to
those affected by Superstorm Sandy
and a variety of other issues.
COURTESY OF STEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION.
Schneps Media DEX October 3 - 16, 2019 3
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