Every New Yorker, like me, remembers exactly where they were on September 11, 2001 when the news of the terror attacks consumed us.
On the 15th anniversary of September 11th - a day that will be engraved in my mind and heart forever (writing this even gives me chills and makes me emotional) - I wanted to dedicate a post to this tragic day and how it is still affecting so many people every single day in ways that you might not realize.
What people may not know is that in addition to the lives lost on 9/11, there are many people who have developed illnesses as a result of their exposure to harmful chemicals in the air that day. Chemicals that we consider "carcinogenic" (aka cancer causing).
These chemicals came from the dust, smoke and aerosols that were emitted into the air as a result of the structural destruction of the twin towers.
According to JAMA - these chemicals include asbestos, silica, benzene, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and numerous metals.
The NYC Department of Health created a WTC Health Registry to study the long-term effects of the attack on area workers, residents, students and first-responders. Currently there are over 71,000 registrants.
Here's some of the most common WTC-Related health conditions that have been diagnosed in many registrants directly linked to 9/11:
1. Mental Health Conditions
As expected many registrants have developed mental illness either from direct exposure to the 9/11 catastrophe (i.e. working on site, trying to escape, etc.) or indirectly (i.e. through the loss of a family member, colleague, etc.).
These illnesses include:
-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
-Depression
-General Anxiety Disorder
-Alcohol & Substance Abuse
2. Lung Conditions
As a result of breathing in dust and chemicals in the air, many people developed reactive airway disease.
-Asthma
Its reported that within 6 years, 1 in 10 registrants developed asthma!
-Decline in lung function
Most common in firefighters and EMS workers who were directly on site breathing in all these chemicals and debris
3. Cancer
It's difficult to prove cause and effect when it comes to development of cancer (since cancer may be a slow process to develop, is difficult to screen for, has many other associated risk factors, etc.); however, a recent study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that for all types of cancer combined from 2007-2011, there were 11 percent more cancer cases than expected among rescue/recovery workers, and 8 percent more among civilian survivors compared with the New York State general population.
These cancers include:
-Prostate cancer (most common)
-Thyroid cancer (2nd most common)
-Multiple Myeloma
-Melanoma
-Breast cancer
-Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Only time will tell what other medical conditions these innocent civilians and self-less first responders will develop.
Luckily, there is government help for those who might have developed a condition due to 9/11. Visit the World Trade Center Health Program to learn more: http://www.cdc.gov/wtc/index.html
Its so sad to think of how one event has changed our lives forever and CONTINUES to affect us.
I have some first-responder patients who are part of this WTC registry and when I had the courage to ask them if they have any regrets - most of their answers are "no". It just proves how remarkable these people are.
To all those first-responders on 9/11:
Thank you for your heroism and all that you did to help so many people that day. You are genuine heroes.
You put the lives of strangers first, something that people are too selfish to ever do.
Thank you for your kindness and making us believe in the good of humanity despite the most evil day that I have ever witnessed in my entire life.
For those of you unlucky enough to have developed a health condition due to 9/11 -- I pray for recovery and hopeful remission.
May God bless all of you.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Deena
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