The Link Between 9/11 and Asbestos Cancer

The World Trade Center attacks of 9/11 and asbestos cancer are now permanently linked in the lives of hundreds of families that have suffered from asbestos exposure as a result of the terrorist attacks in 2001. Although the greatest toll of the attacks was exacted on September 11th, the aftermath continues to have a heavy toll on those who were exposed to toxic levels of a variety of dangerous cancer causing materials in the weeks following the 9/11 attack.

Tons of Asbestos Released into the Air

The World Trade Centers were constructed prior to the 1970s ban on the use of asbestos containing materials, particularly in the lower floors of the buildings. For this reason, tens of thousands of individuals in Manhattan were later to realize that the attacks of 9/11 and asbestos cancer would deal them a double blow. The immediate impact of the attacks was devastating financially and personally, but the slow progress of asbestos cancer in these same individuals would drag the suffering on for years and will continue to do so for perhaps decades into the future.

Some troubling facts illustrate the extent of the problem:

• Debris, dust and smoke were suspended in the air over Lower Manhattan for weeks following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
• Over two dozen buildings were damaged or destroyed aside from the Trade Centers themselves. Many of these buildings were later repaired or destroyed. Most of these buildings contained asbestos.
• The explosions and fires incinerated asbestos insulation and other materials into fine powder that was inhaled by rescue workers, first responders, residents and those in the Towers.
• Over 9,000 tons of debris coated Lower Manhattan after the attacks of 9/11 and the symptoms of asbestos cancer have already begun to show in many of those who were exposed to the debris.
• The EPA acknowledges that cancer causing asbestos dust was in the air for weeks after the 9/11 attacks, with over 100,000 individuals exposed to toxic levels.

If you or anyone in your family was a witness or victim of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it is extremely important to get regular physicals, follow up on any breathing problems and get periodic chest x-rays. With the link between 9/11 and asbestos cancer so clear, it cant be ignored.

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