Why in the blue hell aren't we taking care of the first responders of 9/11?

State Says Hundreds Of 9/11 Rescue Workers Now Dead, Admits Undercount
First responders' representitive:"It's the tip of the iceberg"

New York State health officials have released statistics indicating that 360 9/11 rescue workers have since died, but have also admitted that there is an overall undercount.

The New York Daily News reports that of those deaths 154 have been explained and 80 have died of various forms of cancer, mostly impacting the lungs and digestive system while others were related to blood cancers and heart and circulatory diseases.

"It's the tip of the iceberg," said David Worby, who is representing 10,000 workers - 600 with cancer - who say they got sick after working on rescue and recovery efforts.

"These statistics bear out how toxic that site was," Worby said.

The Statistics were released by the World Trade Center Responder Fatality Investigation Program.

While insisting the state is "not making judgment" on whether all the deaths were related to the toxic air around ground zero, which was filled with asbestos, mercury, lead and other contaminants, official Kitty Gelberg did say that she believes there to be an overall undercount of rescuers and workers who have died since 9/11.

In spite of the state's refusal to be drawn on whether there has been an elevation in deaths due to 9/11, it was revealed back In 2006, almost five years on from the disaster, that there has been a startling increase in cases of a particular lung scarring disease, known as sarcoidosis, among firefighters, which rose to five times the expected rate in the two years after the attacks.

At the time the New York Times reported:

"The most worrisome to medical experts are granulomatous pulmonary diseases, which show a particular type of swirling marks left on the lungs by foreign matter like dust. Doctors say the severity of the disease is often dictated by a patient's genetic makeup. The diseases include pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis, a sometimes fatal disorder that can be set off when exposure to dust causes the body's immune system to attack itself. "

Medical experts have stated that it still may be at least another decade before the full effects of the attacks are witnessed as diseases may take longer to develop in some people than others. It is estimated that around 40,000 people were involved in rescue work around the World Trade Center site and the Fresh Kills landfill where debris was taken immediately following the attacks.

The number effected may be significantly more than that however given that a recent study by Mount Sinai Medical Center revealed that out of 70,000 participants, 85 percent are suffering some kind of respiratory problem.

A previous study in 2006 by the medical center also found that of of 9,442 workers, 70% suffer breathing problems. This was also the figure gleened from a further study in 2007.

Though the center's figures have been criticized and questioned by some, they are the only real source to go on given that the city, state and federal governments did not engage in any form of research into or treatment of 9/11 related illnesses for some time after the attacks, and still have not set about a truly committed program to do so.

Dr. Robin Herbert, Co-director of the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program at Mount Sinai has indicated that there may be three "waves" of illnesses experienced by ground zero workers. The first wave refers to coughing and respiratory problems, the second wave includes severe chronic lung diseases and the third wave could be fatal cancers.

Dr. Michael Baden, chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police and the former chief medical examiner of New York City, has reviewed several ground zero-related autopsies, and has commented "Three thousand people may have died, but 100,000 others may have been exposed".

We have extensively reported on the fact that the EPA knowingly gave misleading information to residents and workers regarding the air quality in the aftermath of the attacks and how a cover up, which leads to officials at the very top, has ensued.

The heroes of 9/11 have been shunned by a government that still refuses cover the costs of healthcare for the vast majority of the stricken because to do so would be an admission of culpability.

Last month it was reported that some of the heroes who have since succumbed to dust-related illnesses will be memorialized on the NYPD's "Wall of Heroes" for officers killed in the line of duty.

Sadly, more space will be needed on that wall in the months and years to come as the officials ultimately responsible for this continuing tragedy remain unpunished.

makes ya sick don't it?????

I thought al-quaeda was responsible for 911...not some "officails" as you suggest. Also these first responders and or firefighters have been exposed to smoke and chemicals for years just doing their "job"...who is to say that now these "diseases" are in anyway directly related to 911? Lastly,what do you suggest we do? Write a blank check to anyone that lived around, or responded to emergency call from 911? Next time do we just evacuate the site and forget about trying to rescue people in trouble and wait till some EPA official says its safe now to go in...maybe a few weeks later? Not sure what the rational is for your thread....but those that responded did so knowing it was dangerous. And any medical bills would be paid from the NYC fire department which has excelent medical coverage. Looks like some lawyers just trying to make a good buck here to me.

Not as sick as the brave men and women that went into Ground zero to try and save lives, but yeah, I have to choke back blinding anger and that makes me sick to my stomach.


The citizes of NYC who had any exposure to the dust that came off the towers would do themselves a service if they went and had a head to toe physical I think.

"I'm glad to reassure the people of New York that their air is safe to breathe."
Christine Todd Whitman September 18, 2001

"Residents are advised to use a wet mop... to clean their apartments."
New York City Department of Health

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny08_nadler/WhitmanEPAlie090806.html

How does the EPA and Whitman get cleared for declaring the air safe to breathe? For Christs sake, there were first responders digging through the toxic rubble without so much as a damned air filter mask or a respirator.

You really want to know the first sign that something was wrong?

Go find me a living 9/11 search and rescue dog.

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/sasalum/newsltr/summer2002/k911.html

First off, I have suggested nothing, the fact that the air was not safe to breathe, but the EPA declared it okay, is widely documented, no suggestion, statement of fact. The statisics offered aren't being brought up out of thin air, instead it comes from:
The Statistics were released by the World Trade Center Responder Fatality Investigation Program.

While insisting the state is "not making judgment" on whether all the deaths were related to the toxic air around ground zero, which was filled with asbestos, mercury, lead and other contaminants, official Kitty Gelberg did say that she believes there to be an overall undercount of rescuers and workers who have died since 9/11.



To blame this, these cancers and sarcoidosis on the long term of the job might be okay, except, how many time have Cops, Firefighters and other first responders had to breathe in Aerosolized Concrete, metal, glass, asbestos and other odds and ends? This isn't even some conspiracy piece, these are government numbers.

"New York State health officials have released statistics indicating that 360 9/11 rescue workers have since died, but have also admitted that there is an overall undercount."

I sure don't work in NYC, but tell me, since you felt the need to criticize the post, why the overwhelming numbers associated with the search efforts of 9/11? Why not the same percentage numbers for the firemen who had to clean up the fire that burned the top floors of the vegas hotel or any other fire? Lets not forget it's not just the fireman, it's the people that volunteered, via the red cross, to come in and dig, the people who didn't even dig, but handed out supplies like water, food, gloves and the like. You're telling me that the cops, R.C. volunteers and others who are getting the same disease's and cancers are exposed to the same things as the firemen?

"The New York Daily News reports that of those deaths 154 have been explained and 80 have died of various forms of cancer, mostly impacting the lungs and digestive system while others were related to blood cancers and heart and circulatory diseases."

This Lawyer trying to make a buck, he isn't representing 5 people, not 100, but 10,000 people who have gotten sick as a result of the air being declared safe to breathe.

Is this my statement?

"The number effected may be significantly more than that however given that a recent study by Mount Sinai Medical Center revealed that out of 70,000 participants, 85 percent are suffering some kind of respiratory problem.

85% of 70,000 people exposed. Give me a break!

A previous study in 2006 by the medical center also found that of of 9,442 workers, 70% suffer breathing problems. This was also the figure gleened from a further study in 2007."

I am simply repeating the numbers provided by Mount Sinai.
Thats who is to say its connected, not me, although I concur, based on the data.

When it comes to evaluating the site, tell me how hard it would have been to scoop a vial full of that dust up and test it? All you would have had to do, as Head of the EPA is put everything else on the shelf, and put all your time and resources into testing this sample and you would have known fairly quickly if this was a health risk.

Instead the first responders and the City of NY as a whole got this:
"I'm glad to reassure the people of New York that their air is safe to breathe."
Christine Todd Whitman September 18, 2001

Of course the first responders knew the site was not "safe", but when they are told the air is safe, that means they aren't concerned with the dust that enveloped so much, it was a concern with the molten metal that was so friggin hot that boots were melting to the concrete days after or jagged shards of metal or lord forbid the debris were to shift.
These people are dying of something that was preventable by simply wearing a air filtration breathing mask of some kind, so yes, THIS part of 9/11's continuing legacy was created by Gov. officials, no tinfoil hat insult or will ever change that fact.
That would have cost alot money though, wouldn't it? So their lives were less important than a budget to these Government folks, in my estimation.
I would say, at best, the government, from Clinton's indecision to do anything about Al CIAda after the USS Cole incident, to Bush's ignoring the brief, "Bin laden determined to strike inside US" would make them responsible for the health of the first responders, while I'm against Socialized Health care, I am 100% for taking care of our first responders, not like thats going to happen, we don't even take real good care of our War Vets, why expect better treatment for those who risk their lives to save lives.

Warmachine, I know your heart is in the right place, we all care for the hero's that reponded to help with the aftermath of 911. However if you review footage of the rescue efforts you will see most did have masks on wether it was full breathers or just paper masks. Knowing full well about dangerous envirments, I have known that some people refuse to wear protective goggles, ear plugs or masks regardless, because "its uncomfortable" knowing full well they are at risk.. Anyone in first response knows the dangers of breathing just cement dust...nevermind all the other chemicals and bio hazards at any given site, to think they did not know the site was harzardous is ludicrous. Again I submit that anyone working for NYC fire Department, Police department or Emergency responders are fully covered for any medical problems they may have by their healthcare providers. If this was an industrial accident from negligence from a company, I say by all means victims should be compensated by the company...not taxpayers for their problems.If a terrorist group explodes a dirty bomb in a city is it the goverments problem to compensate everyone injured in such a situation? I think not....too many people look to government(i.e. taxpayers) to compensate them for everything in life that may come their way, wether it is mother nature(Katrina) or a man made problem (911). The more you rely on government being a babysitter the more control they have over your life.Lastly I do agree with you that a warning should have been given to people that live in surrounding areas about the dangers of pollutants in the air, however my recollection is that most of the surrounding buildings were evacuated anyway from fear of building collapses and not sure just how many people were allowed to stay in the immediate area.

If the first responders were getting the care they deserved, then Micheal Moore would not have been able to do his little stunt in Cuba, because they didn't get the care they needed he was able to make a mockery of the American health care system, by using them as a tool. Fortunately the Cuban's system did give them some care and medicine. So something good came from it.
I could care less that he got investigated for going there.
No less than Hillary Clinton has gotten mileage off of the absolute travesty that has come on to the first responders of 9/11. Is it a sad thing that the organization most responsible for collecting donations to see that the worse off of these brave people is none other than the NY chapter of 9/11 truth?

http://clinton.senate.gov/issues/911/

http://www.rense.com/general77/weare.htm

These so-called conspiracy theorists are donating their money from the "tinfoil hat" films to see that these people can at least get an inhaler or an xray.

It's not just them, see Americans lean towards having a giving spirit, when the cause is right, who would have ever thought that the 9/11 truthers would be working towards the same goal as Nascar?


http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/10/12/gmartin.lowes.walk/index.html

Because I'm currently researching the 9/11 theories, I've seen way more footage than I care to talk about and yea, there were some on the ground who had a respirator of some sort to protect them, but the paper ones would have been woefully inadequate to stop aerosolized flour let alone concrete, mercury, asbestos, glass and who knows what else.

If there had been no warnings, or the FBI hadn't been blocked from stopping the 9/11 terrorists that they had been onto, I would agree that the Government doesn't have any responsibility beyond Guiliani's and Christine Todd Whitmans lies about the air, but thats not the case. We know the President got a memo warning of imminent attacks and FBI agents have testified that they were stopped from pursuing the people who perpetrated the attacks.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1748982&page=1



http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=7065346



Just evacuation wasn't enough, the citizens were being told that it was perfectly safe to clean up that poisonous mess with nothing more than a good mopping! Thats just unacceptable.
I do agree with you that a Nanny state is a dangerous thing, I mean, just looking at how much damage the government does everytime they meddle in a market, do you really want them controlling things like your healthcare? They already can't get the testing of medication right, so it kills more people per year than any illegal drug.

I'm not advocating for everyone who is sick to get free healthcare, just the people who are sick as a result of government lies and failures, they weren't given the proper warnings and it's costing them their long term health ,it is and will continue to cost them their lives. How long are we going to continue to let the 9/11 death toll climb before we demand some freaking accountability?

WHY????????????? THEY CHOSE TO BE A FIRST RESPONDER.ITS LIKE CRYING WHEN A COP GETS SHOT.HELLOOOOOOOOO HE IS A C O P

It would be a whole different story if they had been warned the air wasn't safe.

When a cop takes the job, he knows there are certain dangers, but with the 9/11 first responders, they knew there were all kinds of dangers, but the people they relied on for the correct info, didn't tell them the truth and because of that, they are suffering and dying.

That's unacceptable.

unbelievable simply unbelievable

the attitudes of some people

like saying car mishaps are the #1 cause of death in this country

why cry they got in the car

unbelievable

Unnecessary death is sad, suffering and death that could have been prevented simply by telling the truth is evil.

yes that is true

but to be so callous about it is ruthless (not you war)

Life is the most precious resource that we as Carbon based lifeforms have.

It makes me sick to my stomach to know how many people are suffering because of lies.

i suggest you begin to rally the forces and get some kind of real accountability and retribution ....

but then again you live in america...where democracy insures such accountability...right???

the united states is not a democracy

it is SUPPOSED to be a republic (but i am doubting that more everyday)

How can you be so cold-hearted?

Hey. At least there are other citizens, besides me, who realized that we aren't supposed to be mob rule!

sound like jefferson war

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.
Thomas Jefferson

Probably not taking care of them for the same reason we don't take care of our veterans. Our congressmen are to busy making money for their own pockets.

The Republic is gone, the Democracy is gone, this is now a neo-fascist parlimentary state. At least that's the best description I can think of.