WASHINGTON, D.C. – First responders, survivors, journalists, clean up crews and others who were exposed to the ash, debris and other harmful toxins from the September 11, 2001 attacks could experience serious medical issues. In recent data, nearly ten-thousand people have died due to 9/11 related illnesses.
“I turned the tv on and saw what was happening and since I lived pretty much blocks away from it I ran outside because I wanted to see it with my own eyes,” said Nadia Vizueta, who was a 20 year-old journalism student at New York University when the 9/11 attacks happened. “One of our journalism professors said to us we’re really at the footsteps of one of the largest news events we will probably ever encounter in our lives and to use this as an opportunity as a student to capture any information that you can for our own careers and classes and that sort of thing and so I did that.”
She traveled to ground zero often. Taking photos and conducting interviews for her studies.
“The air definitely felt different,” said Vizueta. “I don’t know how to describe it because it’s been 25 years but there was a heaviness to it. As a 20 year-old student you don’t really think about health repercussions and now as an adult those things were a little more top of mind.”
About 20 years after the attacks she noticed a lump and got it checked.
“I was diagnosed with metaplastic triple negative breast cancer which is a very rare and aggressive form of breast cancer,” said Vizueta. “It only affects about one percent of women that have breast cancer.” Vizueta made the connection that her cancer was linked to the harmful exposure after the attacks. “Metaplastic is very different, very strange and I’m hearing a lot about toxicity and with this prolonged exposure at the World Trade Center, ground zero it started making sense in terms of putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”
She enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, it’s a federal health care program that provides medical monitoring and treatment for WTC related conditions to those directly affected by the attacks in New York, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“I think the coolest thing about the program actually is that there are no out of pocket costs to any of the members for the treatment of those 9/11 associated conditions,” said Dr. Rebecca Rosen, the mental health director at the NYC Health and Hospitals WTC Health Program.
The program estimates about 400-thousand people were exposed to toxic dust, smoke and debris, including physically and emotionally stressful conditions from the attacks and its aftermath. According to the program, as many as 50-thousand cancer diagnoses have been linked back to exposure from the attacks.
“Sometimes people aren’t aware of what they’re experiencing might actually be related to their exposure to 9/11,” said Dr. Rosen.
We’re told nearly 70 kinds of cancers have been certified as linked to 9/11 including respiratory, digestive, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health conditions. The Program is encouraging people who were near the sites to reach out and see if they’re eligible for the Program and getting the treatment they need.
Vizeuta said she is cancer free. “I’m pretty confident the reason I’m still here is because I’m in the program,” said Vizueta.
