News Articles on Effort to Ensure that the World Trade Center Health Program is Fully Funded

Below are URLs to news stories on the effort to have the World Trade Center Health Program fully funded.

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July 7, 2024 — Newsday — New dementia study shows why 9/11 health program must be fully funded

The study showed that 228 of 5,000 first responders studied developed dementia. Experts would expect the diagnosis in only five of 5,000 similarly aged people in the general population.

July 2, 2024 — Spectrum News NY1 — Two city agencies claim to have no 9/11 air quality documents. City Hall admits it’s withholding them

The Department of Environmental Protection and NYC Emergency Management have responded. Both claimed they have no documents. However, a spokeswoman from City Hall confirmed otherwise.

June 30, 2024 — News 12 Brooklyn — Kevin Canavan, Nassau’s chief of patrol, dies of 9/11-related cancer

Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder called him a “cop’s cop.”

June 29, 2024 — American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Cross-sectional association between posttraumatic stress and cognition is moderated by pulmonary functioning in world trade center responders

In the presence of higher PTSD, better pulmonary functioning is associated with better cognitive performance.

June 25, 2024 — Newsday — Suit by 9/11 watchdog: What did NYC leaders knew about toxins and when

The lawsuit names the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and comes after the nonprofit and others requested the records in 2023 but were denied.

June 23, 2024 — Gothamist — 9/11 survivor group sues NYC for documents on Ground Zero toxins

The lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit 9/11 Health Watch, whose 2023 freedom of information requests were repeatedly denied by city agencies.

June 19, 2024 — International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health — The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity with Home Evacuation of Lower Manhattan Residents following the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center Disaster

We used log binomial regression to assess the relative risks of not evacuating from their home following the 9/11 attacks, adjusting for age, gender, and marital status.

June 18, 2024 — News 12 Westchester — Veteran Westchester firefighter dies after two-year battle with 9/11-related cancer

Former Greenville Fire Chief Daniel Raftery died on Sunday. He was 74 years old.

June 17, 2024 — Becker’s Health IT — MD Anderson joins 9/11 support initiative amid controversy

On June 14, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center took to X to release another statement, saying it would participate in the World Trade Center Health Program Network.

June 16, 2024 — The Chief-Leader — 9/11 responders with high dust exposure have increased dementia risk

People who were exposed to the toxic dust are developing early onset dementia at a higher rate than those who had no exposure or wore protective equipment.

June 14, 2024 — Modern Healthcare — MD Anderson to join program for 9/11 responders after controversy

In a statement Friday afternoon, the Houston-based cancer center said it would join the World Trade Center Health Program. 

June 13, 2024 — Newsday — Stony Brook University 9/11 study: Dementia spike among Ground Zero responders

First responders at Ground Zero show a far higher rate of dementia than the general population and are a reminder of the “devastating consequences” from working at the pile, according to a new study.

June 12, 2024 — Stony Brook University News — Study Shows Increased Rates of Dementia in 9/11 Responders with More Exposure to Toxins

A new study that evaluates more than 5,000 WTC responders indicates that those who had more exposures to WTC-related toxins have dementia at a higher rate than other responders.

June 12, 2024 — Modern Healthcare — MD Anderson accused of cutting off sick 9/11 responders

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is disrupting care for three dozen patients sickened while responding to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack over a payment dispute, the advocacy organization 9/11 Health Watch alleges.

June 12, 2024 — JAMA Network Open — Incidence of Dementia Before Age 65 Years Among World Trade Center Attack Responders

In this cohort study including 5010 World Trade Center general responders aged a median of 53 years, the incidence of dementia before age 65 was higher in responders who were more severely exposed.

June 12, 2024 — CBS News — 9/11 first responders with severe debris exposure have higher risk of dementia, study finds

Researchers at Stony Brook University in New York found severe exposure to building debris was significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia before age 65.

June 11, 2024 — Daily Mail — Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer says former NYC mayor may have a lung disease related to 9/11

Attorneys Gary C. Fischoff and Joan A. Keely, acting on behalf of Giuliani, alleged in a 17-page court filing that the politician’s potential condition could limit his ‘future health’ and ‘future earning capacity’.

June 3, 2024 — Utica Observer Dispatch — Former Utica Fire Chief Russell Brooks dies at age 75; responded to Ground Zero after 9/11

The city went on to say Brooks dedicated his career to the residents of Utica and put his life into making the Utica Fire Department the best in the country.

May 31, 2024 — FDNY — FDNY Leadership visits new September 11th exhibit on the anniversary of the end to rescue efforts at Ground Zero

Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and other FDNY officials visited the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on Thursday, May 30, 2024, to view a new exhibit.

May 31, 2024 — The Journal News — Westchester officials, loved ones commemorate 9/11 first responders lost to illness

Members of Westchester County’s First Responders 9/11 Health-Related Illnesses Committee and other county officials came together on the solemn anniversary.

May 31, 2024 — amNY — 9/11 Memorial ceremony sheds light on health issues still plaguing rescue workers

Although May 30, 2002, marked the end of recovery efforts at Ground Zero, the health issues that would plague many rescue workers and civilians for years to come were only just beginning. 

May 24, 2024 — 9/11 Memorial & Museum — Illness and Advocacy After 9/11

“Dust: Illness and Advocacy After 9/11” is a new installation exploring the impacts of the toxic dust that blanketed city streets and coated the insides of homes, businesses, and schools in the area.

May 23, 2024 — SurvivorNet — Heroic Police Officer, 60, Was Among the First To Respond to 9/11 Attacks, Now Decades Later He’s Battling Cancer Linked to Ground Zero

He is among thousands of people in and around Ground Zero on that horrific day that dealt with lingering health effects many years later.

May 17, 2024 — WNYT NewsChannel 13 — State trooper who died from 9/11-related illness memorialized in Washington

New York State Trooper Nicholas Georgeadis, 52, from Wilton died last year from a 9/11 related illness. Now he’ll be forever etched in our nation’s memory.

May 16, 2024 — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer — Gottheimer Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Support Victims of Terrorism

The act has been broadly endorsed by 9/11 victims’ advocacy groups, including 9/11 Children for Justice, 9/11 Justice, 9/11 Families United, and the Family Steering Committee of the 9/11 Commission.

May 16, 2024 — Spectrum News NY1 — Rep. Lawler introduces bill aimed at shoring up terror victim compensation fund

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday to shore up a fund that compensates victims of terror attacks, including Sept. 11.

May 15, 2024 — The Chief-Leader — ‘Revived’ 9/11 Worker Protection panel remains dormant

Although state lawmakers in 2020 passed legislation reconvening a 9/11 worker’s protection task force, none of state officials responsible for nominating the panel’s members appear to have done so.

May 15, 2024 — The Chief-Leader — City transit workers still awaiting 9/11 disability benefits

Although a profusion of state and federal legislation granted disability benefits to civil service workers who worked at the site, city transit workers have so far been shut out.

May 8, 2024 — London Review of Books — Dallas Penn

Penn never stopped playing the fool, and was so funny and self-effacing it was easy to overlook how smart and pointed he was.

May 7, 2024 — Lung — Interstitial Lung Disease and Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis: a World Trade Center Cohort 20-Year Longitudinal Study

The prevalence of post-9/11 ILD was more than two-fold greater than the general population.

May 1, 2024 — World Trade Center Health Program — Youth Research Cohort Update: The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program’s Youth Research Cohort Will Include Individuals Who Were in Utero at the Time of Their 9/11 Exposures

The WTC Health Program is incorporating this change into Youth Research Cohort program materials.

April 20, 2024 — NY Daily News — After being snubbed by city, attorneys plan to sue for docs on 9/11 toxins

Several lead city agencies in the city’s investigation of Ground Zero air quality have denied attorneys Andrew Carboy and Matthew McCauley’s Freedom of Information Law requests for the information.

April 11, 2024 — New York Times — The Man Who Kept The Times’s Lights On

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Dimmock’s union assigned him to work at ground zero, where he climbed through rubble and smoldering ash. The ruins were so hot that the rubber from his shoes melted.

April 9, 2024 — Rep. Jerry Nadler — Nadler and Goldman Call on NYC Mayor Eric Adams to Release Giuliani Administration Records on the City’s Knowledge of the Scope of the Health Threats to 9/11 Responders and Survivors

“Countless first responders continue to deal with the health impacts of the toxins that were in the air. The City dishonors these men and women, many now dead, by refusing to open its 9/11 files.”

March 27, 2024 — PIX11 News — Doctor uses advanced tech to detect 9/11-related cancers

A Manhattan doctor uses state-of-the-art technology to help early detection of cancers in firefighters and others.

March 26, 2024 — Asbury Park Press — 9/11 fatally poisoned firefighter from Ocean Township, but he battled for 23 more years

The 62-year-old Ocean Township resident died Saturday after battling pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and several other illnesses directly related to the post-9/11 cleanup.

March 22, 2024 — Patch (Sachem, NY) — LI Blood Drive Honors 9/11 Cancer Victim Cop, ‘Dedicated Family Man’

The 36-year Farmingville resident was a consistent blood and plasma donor, understanding the importance of giving back to the community.

March 22, 2024 — CBS News — Remembering Capt. Randy Gross: One of an ever growing list of firefighters lost to cancer

Gross died of job-related cancer on March 17 after serving with the Sacramento Metro Fire Department for nearly three decades. He leaves behind a loving wife, Donna, and four children.

March 10, 2024 — CBS News New York — NYC overpass renamed for Port Authority Police Officer Pavlos Pallas, who died from 9/11-related cancer

A Port Authority Police officer who died from 9/11-related cancer will forever be remembered in Queens.

March 10, 2024 — 8AM Media — “We can finally exhale”: Women left out of 9/11 benefits eligible for health care, compensation

The decision to add uterine cancer came after multiple stories from The Fuller Project and its partners about how women were systemically left out of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).

March 5, 2024 — KGW8 Portland — Retired Oregon incident commander needs double lung transplant 2 decades after responding to Ground Zero

“I wasn’t diagnosed with it until fairly later, and then it went boom.”

February 26, 2024 — The Daily Mail — I’m the psychiatrist who helped the 9/11 first responders overcome their trauma – here’s what they taught me about staying resilient

Initially, I had thought of optimism as something one was either born with or not. However, over time, I realized that while genetics did play a role, the rest was up to us. 

February 26, 2024 — NY Daily News — Mayor Adams won’t release 9/11 toxin reports until NYC’s liability risk determined

An Adams spokesman said a legal review is needed first.

February 23, 2024 — Newsday — September 11th Victim Compensation Fund decided more claims, paid most money in 2023

The fund has awarded $12.8 billion to over 56,600 claimants since being reactivated in 2011 and last year decided more claims and issued more reward dollars than in any prior year.

February 21, 2024 — World Trade Center Health Program — Recently Passed Legislation Expands World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Eligibility for Pentagon and Shanksville Responders

The NDAA amends the Zadroga Act to expand eligibility to include certain active duty, retired, or reserve members of the military, civilian employees of the Department of Defense, or certain DOD contractors.

February 20, 2024 — Healio — Lung function decline after World Trade Center exposure raises risk for mortality

Over time, reductions in lung function following exposure to WTC dust heighten the risk for all-cause and cancer-cause mortality, according to results published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

February 18, 2024 — NY Daily News — NYC agencies say they have no data on 9/11 toxins — ‘preposterous,’ reply Ground Zero victims’ advocates

An attempt to learn more about the deadly toxins kicked into New York City’s atmosphere after the 9/11 terror attacks has so far been shut down by city government.

February 17, 2024 — Spectrum News 1 — Rochester area honors N.Y. state trooper taken by 9/11-related illness

New York state troopers gathered with residents of the Rochester area Saturday to mourn the loss and honor the life of Trooper Steven Tyrrell, who passed away earlier this month from cancer.

February 13, 2024 — PloS One — Inflammatory markers in world trade center workers with asthma: Associations with post traumatic stress disorder

Our results suggest that PTSD is not associated with blood and sputum inflammatory markers in WTC workers with asthma.

February 12, 2024 — September 11th Victim Compensation Fund — VCF 2023 Annual Report

This report summarizes the VCF’s 12th year of operation, and focuses on the significant changes, challenges, and achievements of 2023.

February 7, 2024 — ABC 7 NY — New York State Trooper dies from 9/11-related illness after working at WTC site

Trooper Steven A. Tyrrell, 58, was assigned to New York City to aid in the search and recovery efforts.

February 6, 2024 — OncLive — The Importance of Lung Cancer Screening in Individuals Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster

Our study findings demonstrate that beginning lung cancer screening at the age of 50 years and in those with fewer pack-years likely contributes to improved survival after a lung cancer diagnosis.

January 31, 2024 — Newsday — Funeral for Joseph Zadroga, advocate for health benefits for 9/11 first responders sickened at Ground Zero

Zadroga, 76, of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, was struck and killed earlier this month in a hospital parking lot where he had been visiting his ailing wife.

January 31, 2024 — NJ Spotlight News — Push for new avenue to compensation for NJ 9/11 responders

“We owe it to the heroes of 9/11 to ensure they are duly compensated, no matter how much time has passed since the September 11th attacks,” Sen. Joseph Lagana (D-Bergen) said in a statement.

January 30, 2024 — NBC 6 South Florida — 9/11 first responder who advocates for firefighters’ health diagnosed with cancer

Retired FDNY Chief Richard Alles lives a healthy lifestyle and is an avid runner.

January 30, 2024 — NorthJersey.com — ‘He was selfless’: Hundreds mourn Joseph Zadroga, advocate for Ground Zero survivors

After his son’s death in 2006, Joe Zadroga essentially put his retirement on hold and became a prime advocate for increased federal health benefits for those suffering from Ground Zero health issues.

January 29, 2024 — Roll Call — Johnson’s plan to expedite tax deal already faces backlash

The possibility of a suspension vote, which would allow leadership to limit floor debate and amendments, angered both blue state Republicans and the right flank of the party.

January 25, 2024 — New Jersey Senate Democrats — Lagana, Scutari Bill Securing Workers’ Comp Benefits for 9/11 Responders Passes Committee

Under the bill, responders would be eligible for benefits, regardless of when the claim is filed, provided that the worker was treated or monitored through the World Trade Center Health Program.

January 25, 2024 — The Citizen — Former NY environmental police officer in Cayuga, Onondaga counties dies of 9/11 illness

David McShane died of cancer linked to his service at ground zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

January 25, 2024 — NorthJersey.com — NJ lawmakers move to guarantee health care access for 9/11, Ground Zero survivors

The legislation would provide workers’ compensation benefits to public safety employees who experienced any illness or injury or died as a result of their participation in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.

January 22, 2024 — WKBW 7 Buffalo — New York leads nation in law enforcement fatalities, most linked to 9/11 related illnesses

136 federal, state and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty compared to 224 officers in 2022.

January 22, 2024 — The Broadsheet — Growing Up Under a Cloud: Jan. 29 Deadline for Public Comment on Youth Cohort for World Trade Center Health Program

The program proposes to track the health of people exposed as children to toxic debris from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

January 18, 2024 — NY Daily News — 9/11 victim John Ballantine Niven identified through DNA

He is the 1,650th victim to be positively identified.

January 18, 2024 — Newsday — Petition asks that World Trade Center Health Program cover neuropathy

Anthony Falsetta of West Islip can still recall the cloud of toxic dust engulfing much of lower Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, just moments after the fall of the south tower.

January 17, 2024 — New York Times — Joseph Zadroga, Who Championed 9/11 Emergency Workers, Dies at 76

After the death of his son, a police detective, was linked to toxins at the World Trade Center site, he helped win federal benefits for other emergency responders.

January 16, 2024 — Insider NJ — Former NJ Police Chief Mourned Who Stood up and Prevailed on 9/11 WTC Health Issue

Advocates like Joe Zadroga had to overcome tremendous resistance from the City of New York which had supported the false representation that the air around the WTC site was “safe to breathe.”

January 15, 2024 — The Chief-Leader — Joseph Zadroga, who fought for 9/11 survivors’ benefits, dies

Joseph Zadroga was standing alongside his car Saturday afternoon in a hospital parking lot when the driver of an SUV pulling into a space accelerated and struck him.

January 15, 2024 — The Journal of Rheumatology — Systemic sclerosis in individuals with exposure to World Trade Center ground-zero rescue/recovery efforts: A case series

A high frequency of ILD and overlap features were observed among SSc patients with WTC exposure.

January 14, 2024 — Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home — Obituary: Joseph Zadroga

After losing his son James, Joe became a fierce advocate to insure that the immediate responders and their families would be recognized, understood and compensated for their patriotic and brave service.

January 14, 2024 — New York Post — Grieving father Joseph Zadroga, who helped create 9/11 compensation fund, dies in freak parking lot accident

Joseph Zadroga, 76, of Little Egg Harbor, has been credited with spearheading the Zadroga Act for 9/11 families which helped deliver much-needed funds to the families of first responders.

January 14, 2024 — Newsday — Joseph Zadroga hit, killed by SUV; Son’s death led to 9/11 compensation

Zadroga, 76, had just left his wife’s bedside at a hospital in Galloway Township to get Christmas presents from his 2015 Hyundai Tucson when he was hit in the parking lot by a 2021 Nissan SUV.

January 14, 2024 — NY Daily News — Joseph Zadroga, father of fallen 9/11 first responder, fatally struck in N.J.

Joseph Zadroga, a tireless warrior for Sept. 11 first responders and the father of the first cop whose death was attributed to a Ground Zero-related illness, was fatally struck by an SUV in New Jersey.

January 10, 2024 — Business Insurance — New Jersey lawmakers file 9/11 first responder workers comp bill

The bill was sent to the Senate Labor Committee for consideration.

January 10, 2024 — The Broadsheet — Putting a Price on Survival: Additional Half Billion Dollars for World Trade Center Health Program

The funding formulas have failed to keep pace with the anticipated costs of providing the program’s services because of the evolving nature of the health problems it is being called upon to treat.

January 8, 2024 — SILive.com — Rep. Malliotakis announces new health-care funding for 9/11 first responders, survivors

The congresswoman made the announcement in front of FDNY’s Rescue 5/Engine 160 firehouse in Concord on Friday as she stood among dozens of first responders.

January 7, 2024 — WHIO TV 7 — Navy hero from Ohio awarded for his actions on 9/11 passes away

After Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, Captain Kern and Undersecretary Livingstone made their way into a hallway that was filled with smoke. He prevented the group from being trapped in the fire.

January 2, 2024 — Newsday — Congress should make funding for the 9/11 health program permanent

Federal officials are still filling the World Trade Center Health Program’s budget holes piecemeal.

January 1, 2024 — American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine — Normal Lung Function and Mortality in World Trade Center Responders and NHANES III Participants

A single cross-sectional measurement of FEV1 is predictive of mortality over two decades, even when FEV1 is in the normal range.