Statement on Study Showing 15% Increased Cancer Rates Among 9/11 Responders
By Crystal Gajewski on in News Coverage
Dear Friends, Supporters and Fellow First Responders:
As you are aware, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (“NIOSH”) and the Mount Sinai World Trade Center Health Program have issued a report indicating that 9/11 First Responders have a 15% higher incidence of cancers than the general public. This report continues to prove what we in the 9/11 Community have known for many years, the various toxins inhaled and ingested at the World Trade Center Site have caused cancer. The unfortunate reality, as set forth in the report, is that these cancers are occurring earlier than experts had previously predicted. Most importantly is that all 9/11 First Responders who have not previously enrolled in a WTC Health Program will do so now. While preemptive care may not prevent cancer, it may help eradicate it in the early stages of development. The free treatment and monitoring of your health, from experts in the field, is an invaluable resource that all 9/11 First Responders should take advantage of.
On behalf of Ski’s Open Heart Foundation and the FealGood Foundation (“FGF”) I would like to thank The World Trade Center Health Program for its diligent and tireless efforts on behalf of the 9/11 First Responder Community and applaud them for groundbreaking study. Ski’s Open Heart Foundation and The FGF would also like to thank NIOSH and Dr. John Howard for its leadership and stewardship of the 9/11 Health Programs. Without NIOSH’s continued support, studies of this magnitude would not be possible.
The report also acts as further proof that additional cancers must be added for medical coverage and compensation under the Zadroga Bill. As the report indicates, increased rates of Prostate Cancer were seen among 9/11 First Responders, a cancer not yet covered for treatment or compensation under the Zadroga Bill. The FGF will continue to advocate and educate decision makers on the need for additional cancers to be covered under the legislation. We urge all 9/11 First Responders to join us in educating our leaders of our continued health struggles.
Link to the study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/