9/11 Health Resources
World Trade Center Health Program
Overseen by the CDC, government-backed 9/11 health program offers care to responders, workers, volunteers and survivors of the World Trade Center disaster. Centers in the Greater-NY area include Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island, Staten Island, and Piscataway, NJ. Registration Hotline: 888-982-4748. Coverage outside the Greater-NY area is provided by the National Responders Program, with a list of providers by state here.
WTC Health Program: Information about the addition of Cancer
WTC Health Program 1-year Anniversary Video
More 9/11 Health Resources
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
Signed into law on January 2, 2011 and overseen by special master Sheila Birnbaum, the second provision of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act reactivates the fund providing compensation for any individual (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who suffered physical harm or was killed as a result of the World Trade Center Disaster. FAQ
More 9/11 Health Resources
Support 9/11 Health Now with this signed and numbered limited edition poster created for the 10th anniversary
Conceived on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, this signed, limited edition poster was created to benefit first responders who fell ill due to the toxic environment at Ground Zero. All after-cost proceeds benefit 9/11 charities, including $30 per poster donated to 9/11 Health Now.
More Info
Dedicated to health, hope and healing
within the 9/11 Community.
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Not Just Responders: 9/11 Health Crisis Broadens to Wall Street and Beyond
9.11.10 by Claire Calladine, 9/11 Health Now- Brian Cosmello was the quintessential All-American--former U of PA fullback with an economics degree and a hot job on Wall St. Then 9/11 struck: A bystander caught in the dust cloud during the building collapse, Cosmello survived only to return to his job two blocks from Ground Zero for the next seven months. Eight years later at the age of 31, Cosmello was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia his doctors attribute directly to 9/11 toxins... Full Story
Editorial: The Time is NOW to Bring Relief to America’s 9/11 Families
Claire Calladine
9/11 Health Now
Public Address 9.11.09 NYC
“Good evening, my name is Claire Calladine and I am executive director and co-founder of 9/11 Health Now. I met 9/11 Health Now’s other co-founder David Miller on 9.11.07 at a First Responder benefit, where he was speaking out on behalf of the 9/11 Community. David is a wonderful speaker: eloquent, forceful, bold... but he kept pausing for breath at the podium and to clear his lungs. He was also hooked up to a portable oxygen machine that he breathed through as he spoke...” Full Story
Download Time Is NOW 9.11.09 Photo Version.pdf
Letter to Dr. Howard from 9/11 Health Victim Brian Cosmello on 7.26.11 NIOSH Cancer Ruling
“Dr. Howard and fellow NIOSH Members,
Over the past few months, NIOSH hosted an online Docket with the goal of soliciting feedback from the 9/11 Community in order to understand the needs of the population being served by the 9/11 Health bill.
During that period, I took much time and energy to reflect, gather information and submit my background story to you regarding the importance of including blood cancers as covered conditions under this program. From what I have read, you have received many other similarly devastating stories, not only from Responders, but also people like myself who were either local workers and/or community members during the 9/11 attacks. I'm appalled to learn that our stories have fallen on deaf ears...” Full letter
First Periodic Review of Cancer for the WTC Health Program
The 9/11 Cancer Issue
‘..We know that the exposures included a potent mix of carcinogens...’
Listen to Interview
Ceremony Marks James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act Taking Effect
New York, NY July 1, 2011- Mayor Bloomberg, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Congressman Jerry Nadler, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano and Mt. Sinai Medical Center CEO Dr. Kenneth Davis today joined World Trade Center (WTC) first responders, labor union leaders, community groups, physicians and others at a ribbon cutting event at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City to celebrate the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act taking effect.
Signed into law in early January, the Zadroga Act provides sustained funding for the WTC Centers of Excellence and ensures that those facing 9/11-related health problems continue to receive monitoring and treatment through at least 2015. The law takes effect today, July 1, 2011....
Full Story
America Saves National Honor as Senate Passes Long-Overdue Zadroga Health Bill for 9/11 Responders
Washington, DC, 12.22.10 – Today, the House of Representatives passed, for the second time, legislation to address the health crisis caused by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, will provide health care for those exposed to toxins released by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.
The bill will also reopen the federal Victim Compensation Fund to provide economic relief to those harmed by the attacks. Earlier today, the Senate passed an amended version of the bill that reduces the bill’s cost to $4.3 billion over five years. A summary of the Senate’s changes can be found below.
The bill, sponsored by New York Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Peter King (R-NY), with the support of the entire New York Congressional delegation, will now be sent to President Obama’s desk. The President has said that he supports and will sign the legislation. The passage of H.R. 847 represents a victory for ailing 9/11 first responders and survivors who have waited more than nine years for the federal government to approve a comprehensive plan to deal with the public health disaster caused by the attacks...
Full Story Press Release Enacted Bill HR 847 James Zadroga 9:11 Health & Compensation Act of 2010.pdf
First Responder Chaplain Issues Plea: “Senators, Please! Give us our Health Care and Pass S.1334 ...”
Huron, Ohio 12.18.10- My name is Rev. Stephan Petrovich. I was a First Responder Chaplain at the World Trade Center; I am now ill and receiving hospice palliative care for the effects of the toxic dust at Ground Zero. I responded to the Call on 9/11 working at the morgue and on the Pile giving last rites to the bodies of the recovered victims.
I am terminally ill from 9/11 yet cannot afford the medical treatments I need as my entire Workers Comp check and most of my Social Security goes to home care. I have been borrowing for years now to pay ongoing ($50,000+) medical bills and am now facing winter with $800 in gas arrears that the company is threatening to turn off... Full Letter
Anthony DePalma on his new book City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance and 9/11
Nine Years Later: Health Effects in World Trade Center Responders, with Philip Landrigan
9.1.10. by Ashley Ahearn, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES--As many as 70,000 volunteers and rescue workers responded to the 11 September 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, many toiling for months to clear mountains of debris containing a range of toxic compounds. Health effects seen since that time in WTC responders include respiratory, gastrointestinal, chemosensory, and mental health problems; many of these effects have persisted for years. In this podcast, Philip Landrigan discusses his work with WTC responders as a physician and an epidemiologist and how lessons learned from the WTC cleanup may be applied to other disasters. Landrigan is the chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and dean for Global Health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York... More
His Death Must Count: It's Too Late for Joe Picurro, but Ground Zero Health Bill Must Pass
10.16.10--Editorial, NY Daily News--The photos of Joe Picurro, an ironworker who labored at The Pile on and after 9/11, should be placed before the eyes of every United States senator who will soon be called upon to vote on providing health care
and compensation to sick World Trade Center workers.
Picurro is not only the embodiment of the selfless courage displayed by so many after the terror attack, he is an ultimate example of the injustice visited upon responders who answered the call in their country's hour of need. A strapping hardhat from Tom’s River, NJ, Picurro saw the devastating images and knew skilled workers would be needed to cut the steel. He was at Ground Zero the very first night and remained there for 28 days, slicing through twisted metal, clearing debris, fighting fires, recovering human remains...
Full Story More NY Post Carolyn Maloney Statement
9.11.09 Democracy Now Podcast
9/11 Health Legislation Initiatives
Washington DC, Fall 2010- A Senate Vote is imminent for S.1334 The James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act. Please help obtain urgently needed healthcare for the 9/11 Community by participating in the initiatives below:
Locate your Senator via the link above. Call, email, write or fax your support of S. 1334 The James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act.
Contact the Vice President of the Senate Joe Biden via the link above. Write, email or call to pledge your support of the bill and urge that it be voted on asap.
Contact Senate Majority leader Harry Reid via the link above. Write, email or call to pledge your support of the bill and urge that it be brought to a vote.
Contact United States President Barack Obama via the link above. Email or write to pledge your support of the bill and urge that the president fast track it for signature.
Feature News
House passes Zadroga Act Expanding Health Care for 9/11 First Responders, Oks over $7 Billion in Aid
9.29.10--By Michael McAuliffe, NY Daily News--WASHINGTON- Congress gave America’s 9/11 responders their first reason to smile in nine years, pushing a measure to care for sick heroes halfway to reality.
The James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act survived intense backroom negotiations, then passed by an overwhelming 268 to 160 vote while more than 100 responders and family watched from the House gallery.
Among them was Joe Zadroga, whose police detective son, James, lost his life to a 9/11-linked illness and lent his name to the $7.4 billion measure to help others like him and their families. "I was so overjoyed when that bill passed today, I had tears in my eyes," said Zadroga later, weeping again...
Full Story
Eight Years After 9/11, Ground Zero Volunteer Dying of Lung Disease is One of Many Still Fighting for Justice
9.11.09 --NY, NY, Democracy Now-- Today marks the eighth anniversary of 9/11, with vigils being held to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks. We look at a group of victims that are often forgotten in the September 11 narrative... Read More
Voices of 9/11: Community Members Speak Out on How 9/11 has Affected Their Lives & Health
Hear FDNY Responder John McNamara, left, on living with World Trade Center cancer. (click on image)
(Photo and Video clip: Allan Tannenbaum)
Steve Centore, New Bern NC, right, in hospital, after undergoing an emergency liver transplant: “Time is running out for many ill and injured first responders...”
Read Steve’s Book Press Release
Laura DiPasqua, Erie PA, left, with sons Anthony & Joe: “Since 9/11, I fight for my life every single day...”
More Voices of 9/11...
9/11 Physicians Speak Out
“...The mix of chemicals is very complex... in concentrations that were very high... in a mixture that’s previously never been encoutered...”
Hear Testimony More WTC Worker Testimonies
Read Dr. Landrigan’s Discover Magazine Interview World Plague Center
Download Now: 9/11 Health Guides
Clinical Guidelines for Adults Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster 21-page guide by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene detailing types of 9/11 illnesses and guidelines for patients and physicians on diagnosis and treatments.
WTC Clinical Guidelines 2008.pdf
Clinical Guidelines for Children & Adolescents Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster 16-page guide to 9/11’s effects on the younger population includes charts on toxic exposures, diagnosis and treatment issues, long-term ramifications, list of resources & more.
WTC Clinical Guidelines Children & Adolescents.pdf
9/11 Health Alert: NOW is Time to Voice Concerns about WTC Medical Monitoring by Rhonda Villamia
Dear WTC Community Member,
Over the subsequent months, I posted email requests for input from the 9/11 community via direct contact to persons on my e-list, or through various WTC-related groups. I asked for people to contact me with their list of concerns & any attempts made to communicate their concerns directly to Mt. Sinai or the Centers of Excellence via email or letters. I wanted to compile a fairly exhaustive account of issues which our community feels have not been addressed by the monitoring or treatment programs... Read More
Read 9/11 Health Now’s 2008 Letter to Congress on this all-important piece of legislation...
Read
Laura DiPasqua’s Letter to Congress about how her life has changed since 9/11 and why she desperately needs the Zadroga act to pass. (pictured right,
with sons Anthony and Joe at the 2.26.08 Rally for 9/11 Health in Washington DC.)
Fallen Heroes: FDNY Jim Ryan
FDNY Jim Ryan, 48, of Kings Park NY succumbed to a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer on 12.25.09. Ryan, of Engine Co. 320/Ladder 167 in Flushing (Queens), worked for months at Ground Zero sifting through toxic rubble. Both Ryan’s doctors and family belive his cancer was 9/11-related. Ryan made a plea to Congress this past November on the eve of a 11.18.09 rally in which 9/11 groups advocated for the passage of pending health legislantion the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act. “...(The bill) is about all the guys who are going to come after me, and there's going to be plenty of them... I don't think (we)'ve even seen the tip of the iceberg yet...” Ryan is survived by wife Magda, two sons, a daughter, and three siblings. Read More 12.29.09 Funeral 12.29.09 Video 12.28.09 Story 12.27.09 Story 12.27.09 Obituary 12.26.09 Story 11.19.09 Story
Fallen Heroes: NYPD Robert Grossman
NYPD officer Robert ‘Robbie’ Grossman passed away in Port Jefferson, NY on 10.09.09 at age 41 after a three year battle with brain cancer that his family and physician link directly to World Trade Center toxins. Grossman graduated from the police academy in 1994, and was assigned to the 28th precinct in Harlem.
On September 11, 2001, Grossman rushed to Ground Zero along with thousands of NYPD, FDNY, EMS and other rescue workers, spending weeks at the site. He continued to work within the NYPD until 9/11 illness forced him to retire in 2007. Known for his sense of humor, strength, and love of life, Grossman is survived by wife Carla, son Noah, 6, father and stepmother Stephen and Rochelle Grossman, mother and stepfather Harriet & Morton Epstein, and seven siblings.
Newsday Story Daily News Story Funeral Footage 9.16.09 Story
Fallen Heroes: FDNY John McNamara April 26, 1965 - August 9, 2009
FDNY John McNamara, 44, passed away on 8.9.09, after a 3-year battle with cancer. ‘Johnny Mac’, as he was known within the FDNY and 9/11 communities, served 10 years at Brooklyn’s Engine 234/Ladder 123, & was also a member of the Blue Point (Long Island) fire dept. He worked 500 hours at Ground Zero, and also deployed to New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. MacNamara co-founded the non-profit NYC Firefighter Brotherhood Foundation, advocating for 9/11 health awareness all the way to his death. He is survived by wife Jennifer and 2 year old son Jack. (photo: Allan Tannenbaum)
Huffington Post Tribute Daily News Article HDTV2 Article
Press Conference Newsday Article Joye Brown Ediitorial
Newsday Funeral Article & Video NY1 Funeral Article & Video
John MacNamara Video Russia Today Story Adam’s Angels Page
Jet Nation Tribute
Filmmaker Brian Johnson profiles 9/11 responder John Citara’s odyssey from Ground Zero civilian volunteer to a life revolving around chronic illness and the ongoing sruggle to survive.
View Trailer
Visit Film Website
More Film Info: Part 1 Part 2
Feature News Articles
Obama comes out in Favor of 9/11 Health Bill: Pres. to sign Zadroga Bill into Law
8.18.10 by Richard Sisk & Samuel Goldsmith, NY DAILY NEWS--Washington--In a breakthrough for 9/11 first responders, President Obama ended his silence on the Zadroga Bill on Wednesday and backed the uphill drive to get it through Congress.
"The President looks forward to signing the 9/11 health bill into law, once it passes both houses of Congress, to help the first responders whose health and livelihood were devastated by the events of Sept. 11," a White House statement said. Elated first responders and their families said it was the first show of support from Obama since the presidential campaign and boosted chances for bringing the bill to another vote in the House next month. A previous effort failed last month...
Full Article
Judge OKs Proposed Ground Zero Settlement
6.23.10 by John Riley NEWSDAY--U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein Wednesday approved a proposed $625 million to $712 million settlement of health claims from Ground Zero responders after an emotional seven-hour hearing in which he frequently sympathized with critics of its imperfections.
"I intend to approve the settlement and I now do so as a fair, reasonable and adequate settlement," Hellerstein told a packed courtroom in federal court in Manhattan after hearing from a parade of more than 30 lawyers and claimants. "It is fair in amount, it is fair in procedure."
The judge vetoed a less generous deal between the city, its insurer and plaintiffs' lawyers in March. To take effect, at least 95 percent of the 10,000 police officers, firefighters and other workers who claim they suffered illnesses from post-Sept. 11 rescue and cleanup efforts must sign up by Sept. 30...
Full Article
Forgotten to the Max: Sick Montana Town Gets Aid While WTC Heroes Stay Forgotten
12.27.09 NY Daily News--As Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson did, as Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu did, as Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd did -
and as New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand did
not do - Montana Sen. Max Baucus (right) got a big special something for his state in the Senate health care bill.
The Great Falls Tribune of Great Falls, Montana reported: "The bill has several provisions that could help Montana, including ... special help for the people of Libby, whose exposure to years of asbestos was so severe that the Environmental Protection Agency declared a health emergency... Read More
An Air That Kills
World Trade Center, 9/11 & Asbestos
More 9/11 Articles
9/11’s Toxic Legacy
Regina Cervantes, Volunteer EMS Worker: “By September 14th, my airway was so burned I could barely speak. Now I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gastro esophageal reflux disease, chronic asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks…”
David Miller, National Guard (pictured,below): “I've got
Mesothelioma, skin cancer, head and neck cancer, COPD--Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, nausea from the chemo, insomnia, cardiac issues-my heart has to pump so hard to get
oxygen to my obstructed lungs, it's become damaged in the process…”
Listen to David on the plight of the First Responders in a meeting with Dennis Kucinich.
John Feal, Demolition Supervisor: “An 8-ton steel beam crushed my foot at Ground Zero. I got gangrene and almost died. I've had multiple surgeries and two amputations. Pulmonary disease? Puh-lease--everyone who worked on the pile has that-it's inescapable…”
John Sferazo, Steelworker, who now takes 26 medications a day due to Ground Zero illness: “...Now I'm lucky if I can run a city block without dropping dead…” View John in the Sierra Club film Forgotten Heroes
The 9/11 Health Crisis
On September 11, 2001, tens of thousands of Americans converged on New York City's World Trade Center site in one of the most impassioned rescue and recovery efforts in the history of the country. Unbeknownst to these American patriots,
the conditions at Ground Zero--in spite of Federal and State warnings to the contrary--were exceedingly toxic: hundreds of contaminants, including asbestos, lead, mercury and benzene--to name a few-were present in unprecedentedly high levels, both within the billowing dust cloud that settled over Lower Manhattan and the surrounding areas, and in the emissions from the pile that smoldered for months afterward during the cleanup...
Read More...
Rally for 9/11 Health U.S. Capitol 2.26.08
Over one hundred 9/11 Responders and their families rallied at the U.S. Capitol on February 26, 2008 to protest the 77% budget cuts in 9/11 Healthcare funding for fiscal ‘09, plus the canceling of plans for the World Trade Center
Business Process Center,
which would have provided monitoring and treatment for the 10,000-plus Responders who reside outside the greater New York area. Responders and officials alike clamored for the passage of the
9/11 Health and Compensation Act. (
H.R. 3543; updated versions
H.R. 6594,
7174 &
847). Also known as the
James Zadroga Act, the bill would provide monitoring and treatment to all those sickened by Ground Zero toxins. Co-organized by
9/11 Health Now and the
FealGood Foundation, the rally featured elected officials
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH, pictured right),
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY),
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and
Tim Bishop (D-NY), who spoke out on the urgent need for 9/11 Healthcare.
View Photo Gallery... Read Media Articles... View Media Clips
9/11 Activist: John Feal
During the 9/11 rescue and recovery mission, First Responder John Feal escaped near-death when an 8-ton steel beam toppled onto his foot. Two amputations and multiple surgeries later, Feal was back on his feet, but demoralized by what he saw: the 9/11 Community was reeling--from respiratory disease, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, cancers and other ailments due to Ground Zero's toxic aftermath. Bitter that aid for America's heroes was not forthcoming, Feal transformed his anger into advocacy, speaking out to the public and elected officials for the urgent need for 9/11 health care. In 2005,
John established the
FealGood Foundation, a non-profit charity dedicated to aiding the 9/11 Community.
“I became an advocate once I realized I have a choice,” Feal declares. “I can sit around and feel sorry for myself, or I can fight back and help others." Mention politics, and John bristles: "With power, comes responsibility: as elected officials, you're elected to serve and protect. Well, 90% of our country's leaders are not serving and protecting, and 9/11 heroes are dying because of it.” Feal continues: "As a country, we took one on the chin on September 11. We got knocked down, but we bounced back up to move forward. But in the process of moving forward, we forgot what we left behind. And that's about 40,000 people that are sick and dying…”
Read John’s 9.5.07
CAP Interview.
View John in the Sierra Club film Forgotten Heroes.
View John Feal and Glen Klein’s Star Jones Interview.
View John’s 2.26.08 Fox News Interview at the Rally for 9/11 Health at the US Capitol (above).
