"A new study says firefighters who toiled in the wreckage of the World Trade Center in 2001 were 19 percent more likely to develop cancer than those who were not there, the strongest evidence to date of a possible link between work at ground zero and cancer."
"The study, published Thursday in the British medical journal The Lancet, included almost 10,000 New York City firefighters, most of whom were exposed to the caustic dust and smoke created by the fall of the twin towers. The findings indicate an “increased likelihood for the development of any type of cancer,” said Dr. David J. Prezant, the chief medical officer for the New York Fire Department, who led the study. But he said the results were far from conclusive. “This is not an epidemic,” he said.
Cancer is not on the list of illnesses covered by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which has set aside $4.3 billion to treat, compensate and monitor those suffering from health problems associated with the attacks and their aftermath, like asthma and other respiratory ailments. But the law requires officials at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to conduct periodic reviews of studies to assess whether to add illnesses to the list."
Sydney Ember reports for the New York Times September 1, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Dusty Legacy of 9/11 Still a Medical Mystery" (AP)
