We want to take this opportunity to build awareness about the World Trade Center Health Program and the medical and psychological conditions covered. To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified nearly 60 cancers that 9/11 survivors and responders have developed as a result of their exposures to the toxins in Lower Manhattan after the attacks.
For two weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Rod Khattabi could often be seen at Ground Zero digging through the rubble. In the hours after the attacks, Khattabi was a first responder, working around the clock in dangerous conditions. The former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Special Agent, who is a director of the Safety and Justice Initiative at Grace Farms, remembers returning to his Norwalk home on the morning of Sept. 12.
On May 30, VOICES was honored to witness the dedication and opening of the 9/11 Memorial Glade.
On December 18, 2015, Congress approved the extension of the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which provides compensation and medical and mental health treatment to first responders and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. One year later, there are still thousands of people who qualify for the benefits but have not yet signed up.-
It is estimated that over 400,000 people were in Lower Manhattan on 9/11 and in the months afterward. Fifteen years later, many survivors are experiencing symptoms of the same life-threatening medical and psychological conditions as the responders who worked in the recovery effort.