Page 43 - 201109 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2011

9/11 1st Responders Left Out of 10th Ann. 9/11 first responders left out of 10th-anniversary event Yahhoo News President Obama will be there. So will former president George W. Bush and former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani. And, of course, the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, will attend. But Sept. 11 first responders, the emergency workers who helped with the rescue and recovery efforts 10 years ago, will be denied entry to the 9/11 National Memorial on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The 90,000 or so firefighters, police officers, and civilian volunteers who rushed toward the burning twin towers are not invited to the ceremonies on Sept. 11. Mayor Bloomberg confirmed that the day would be reserved for victims' families. Studies so far have not found an increased risk on 32 women, 13 Asians and 8 native "Family members only will be allowed to walk of lung cancer, which takes many years to Americans for the same reason. onto the plaza, look at their loved ones' names, develop, and this study was no exception, And they excluded data on 85 men who look down into the voids," he said, referring to finding no increased risk of lung cancer for had a prior cancer diagnosis. After adjusting for the reflecting pools in the footprints of the two exposed firefighters versus those not exposed. these factors, they found the exposed towers. Bloomberg added, "The first day, it's Firefighters working in the rubble of the firefighters had a 19 percent higher rate of reserved for those family members who lost World Trade Center after two planes hit its twin having any type of cancer. somebody on 9/11." towers on September 11, 2001, were exposed to "This shows an increase in all cancers," And, in fact, first responders have never a several known cancer-causing agents, Prezant said, adding the study was not designed been officially invited to the events. But that including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, to show increases in a particular type of cancer. doesn't make it right, says John Feal, founder of polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins. The study did not look at the health an advocacy group for first responders, many of Prior studies have shown increased rates impacts on other types of rescue workers, which whom are now battling cancer and other of post traumatic stress disorder, asthma and will be covered in a separate study. diseases. Feal, a first responder himself, told other respiratory illnesses among rescue Dr James Melius of the New York State CNN, "The best of the best that this country workers. To date, only a handful of smaller Laborers' Health Fund said the study supports offered 10 years ago are being neglected and studies have shown increased rates of cancer, addition of cancer to other federally funded denied their rightful place." which can take five to 20 years to develop. medical disorders offered to 9/11 rescue In fact, as construction of the 9/11 In July, a report released by Dr. John workers. National Memorial continues, passes are Howard, director of the National Institute for Waiting until definitive studies have required for those who wish to visit the site. The Occupational Safety and Health, concluded that been completed "would be unfair and would passes, which are free, are for a specified date there was not yet enough evidence to support a pose a hardship for workers who willingly and time. link between the 9/11 attacks and cancer. risked their health by responding without When the online reservation system Without that evidence, firefighters and hesitation to the WTC crisis," he said. opened, the 5,000 passes for the opening date to other rescue workers can not receive payments For firefighters and others who were the public, Sept. 12, were snapped up within an for cancer treatments under the James Zadroga exposed and have not yet developed cancer, hour. Since then, the memorial foundation has 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which Prezant advised lifestyle changes that can cut made more slots available.[] covers illnesses like asthma and other cancer risk -- quitting smoking, limiting alcohol respiratory diseases, but not cancer. use, getting regular exercise and maintaining a 9/11 firefighters have Prezant told reporters he was not sure healthy weight. And he recommends regular cancer higher cancer risk: study whether his report would be enough to make the screening tests. case for federal health benefits for firefighters Reuters who developed cancer after the 9/11 attacks, but "For those who were down there and do said Dr. Howard, who is tasked with making the not have cancer, this is not an epidemic, but it is Male firefighters who were exposed to toxic decision, is aware of his study. an increased risk," Melius said. "So the most dust and smoke from the 9/11 attacks on New important thing to do is enroll in an active York's World Trade Center have a 19 percent ENTIRE POPULATION cancer prevention and screening program."[] higher risk of getting cancer of all kinds than colleagues who were not exposed, U.S. Prezant said the study had several researchers said on Thursday. strengths, including the fact that it looked at The study is the first to look at cancer nearly 10,000 male firefighters. rates among the all of the exposed firefighters, The team only looked at cancers that and the findings may help pave the way for developed in the first seven years after the federal health benefits for rescue workers now World Trade Center attacks, comparing rates suffering from cancer nearly a decade after the among exposed and non-exposed firefighters. attacks. And they made several adjustments to "This study clearly shows World Trade the overall groups to exclude information that Center exposure in these firefighters led to an might skew the results. increase in cancer," said Dr. David Prezant of For example, they excluded data on 576 the Fire Department of the City of New York, firefighters who were over age 60 on September whose study was published in The Lancet 11, 2001, because the small number of men in medical journal. that age group would have made the results statistically unstable. They also excluded data