More than 20 years after the September 11 attacks, some 17,000 emergency medical workers are still living with physical symptoms related to the attacks.
At least 16,900 police officers from the New York City Fire Department, the New York City Police Department and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are suffering from at least one cancer or illness directly linked to the largest terrorist attack in history.
This staggering total is 3,830% more than the death toll from the tragedy itself: 430 heroes died in the collapse of the Twin Towers and the rescue efforts.
The shocking figure reflects the number of victims enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program and with confirmed illnesses, but officials warn that the actual total number of survivors is likely much higher because the project only recognizes some cancers and diseases.
Civilians
The vast majority of survivors of the illness are people who lived, worked or went to school in New York during the tragedy and in the weeks afterward, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which compiles data for the health program.
A spokesperson told The Washington Post that as of March 31, 2024, there are “approximately 79,493 survivors with at least one physical or mental health issue related to exposure to dust, smoke, debris and the traumatic event.”
This huge number does not include the 4,449 program members who have since died.
New York City Fire Department
There are 15,500 New York City Fire Department paramedics enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program for at least one qualified cancer or illness, but many suffer from multiple qualified illnesses.
About 200 of the survivors were diagnosed within the past six months, said Dr. Pleasant, the FDNY's chief medical officer.
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of other survivors whose certification is pending as the NYFD tries to convince the program to expand coverage to other illnesses, such as pulmonary fibrosis, a serious and rapidly progressing lung disease that has become increasingly common among 9/11 survivors in the NYFD's ranks in recent years.
“It's not that it's becoming more common, it's that it's evolving in terms of respiratory disease,” Pleasant told The Post.
“Fibrosis takes a long time to develop. We know that in asbestosis it can take 20 to 30 years for fibrosis to develop. With cancer, it's a combination of the effects of exposure and the ageing process, and you can't separate the two.”
“This indicates that patients will require monitoring and treatment even after 23 years for recurrent evolution, changes and new diagnoses.”
In the 23 years since the 9/11 tragedy, the FDNY has lost 370 officers to related illnesses — more than the 343 who died when the Twin Towers collapsed.
Twenty-eight people have died in the past year, a figure that officials expect to rise as union leaders call for more funding for health programs at the World Trade Center.
New York Police Department
According to the Police Benevolent Association, between five and 10 NYPD officers who responded to the 9/11 attacks are diagnosed with a 9/11-related illness each month.
The total number of officers held responsible in connection with the tragedy was more than 1,400, with the union reporting that the most common illness was prostate cancer.
The police department lost 23 officers when the Twin Towers collapsed, but that death toll has since been surpassed by the number of officers who succumbed to illness.
In a ceremony in May, the union inscribed the names of 377 of its members who have died from 9/11-related illnesses on a memorial at the NYPD, but the number is now more than 400, the union said.
Port Authority
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey lost 37 officers on the first day of the September 11 tragedy, the highest number of deaths ever suffered by a police department in a single incident.
Since then, 16 more Port Authority employees have died after being confirmed with 9/11-related illnesses.
There are several other people whose deaths have yet to be confirmed and it is still being assessed whether they are linked to the tragedy.
The ministry and the union declined to say how many of their members were still battling the illness, but a source said it was “several.”
“Due to privacy concerns, we do not provide specific medical information or statistics regarding the health status of our employees,” a Port Authority spokesman said.
The fight continues
As survivors continue to be diagnosed with cancers and illnesses linked to 9/11, officials continue to plead for government assistance to help care for the heroes who survived but are still suffering before 9/11 becomes an even more distant memory.
Earlier this week, the FDNY hosted a call for help. 9/11 Rescuers and Survivors Healthcare Funding Remediation Act of 2024This will fund the World Trade Center Health Program through 2033.
““If you approached any of the 15,500 members of our program who have mild to severe illnesses, I'm 100% sure that every single one of them would do it again,” Pleasant said.
“They will be there again. In fact, the majority of them would say that if they were sick tomorrow, they would volunteer there again… Despite the tragic illnesses suffered by our members and other relief workers, we can never forget it.”
