The US government has decided to recognize around 50 different types of cancer that victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been diagnosed with after more than a decade-long wait that has left hundreds dead without proper care or diagnosis.
Civilians and first responders that survived the September 11, 2001 attacks but developed cases of varying cancers in the aftermath will now be covered by a government-administered health care program that will provide them with complimentary check-ups and screenings. The decision will apply to survivors of both crashes at the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety made the announcement Monday, adding dozens of diseases — including cancers of the breast, bladder and lung, colorectal cancer, leukemias, melanoma and childhood cancers — to an already substantial list of diseases that are covered.
"The publication of this final rule marks an important step in the effort to provide needed treatment and care to 9/11 responders and survivors through the WTC Health Program," NIOSH director Dr. John Howard said in a statement this week.
In a separate address, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "We have urged from the very beginning that the decision whether or not to include cancer be based on science." For several years, however, many victims and physicians have made countless claims that the effects of the attacks in NYC and DC did in fact contribute to developing debilitating diseases.
MORE ON THE STORY
07.02, 02:4352 comments
Hundreds of 9/11 cops diagnosed with cancer
The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center took the lives of 23 NYPD officers who responded to the scene that day.
9/11 tragedy02.09.2011, 20:524 comments
9/11 causes cancer
It took a decade, but doctors are now confirming that firefighters that responded to Ground Zero during the September 11 terrorist attacks have a higher risk of getting cancer.
9/11 tragedy11.09.2010, 07:083 comments
9/11 aftermath gets the first responders as world mourns victims
The victims of 9/11 are being remembered in the US on Saturday. American president Barack Obama has visited the Pentagon, where military authorities and relatives of the victims have commemorated those who died.
18.05, 23:3211 comments
Donna Summer died from 9/11 cancer?
The music world was shocked on Thursday by the loss of disco legend Donna Summer to lung cancer. The singer largely avoided publicizing her battle with the illness, but said in 2008 that she thought the disease developed because of the 9/11 attacks.
9/11 tragedy
It's funny how they called it ground zero because ground zero at the time meant the location just below where a nuke bomb went off. No chemicals on earth cause that much cancer. Maybe it actually was a nuke bomb and there were no planes just an animation for the TV. Whatever comes through the screen has to true. And whatever the actors say must be true. Don't know if you've seen this video
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3cpHxbIIV4