Former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart (2nd R) believes U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (R), D-NY, speaks with John Feal (C), an advocate for the health of 9/11 and first of 9/11 respondents, survivors and their families, during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 25, 2019, to discuss the introduction of the bipartisan “Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the Victims’ Compensation Fund Act of September 11 “and to request their speedy passage.
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Cancer diagnoses and medical complications have skyrocketed over the past eight years for 9/11 survivors and first responders who inhaled toxic waste in the wake of the terrorist attacks, according to a new report from the Centers for Control and Prevention of Diseases.
Of the 104,223 enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, a federal benefit plan for survivors and respondents, 58% of all program members contracted at least one illness caused by Sept. 11 last year, according to the ‘latest CDC morbidity and mortality. Weekly report. Cancers related to 9/11 among members increased by more than 1,000%, from 1,870 confirmed cases in 2013 to 20,612 cases in 2020, according to research.
“The WTC’s ongoing research has led to a better understanding of the 9/11 exposures and the physical and mental health associations for its members,” the report states.
The MMWR did not compare cancer and noncancer disease outcomes to the general population, but a 2018 CDC study predicted New York City firefighters working in the zero zone would experience a greater cancer burden. than expected from a demographically similar population. . “
The researchers wrote that they expected more prostate cancer, thyroid cancer and melanoma from the sample group of 12,374 white male firefighters.
Non-cancerous health problems of members went from 28,126 certified medical conditions in 2012 to 50,611 in 2020, an increase of 80%. The program calculated an average of 2.7 9/11-related health conditions per member and added that approximately 400,000 people came into contact with dangerous contaminants after the attacks, raising the risk of medical complications.
Founded in 2011 with funding from the Zadroga Act, the World Trade Center’s World Health Program covers “screening, monitoring and medical treatment” for people with 9/11-related illnesses that have been evaluated by a clinical provider and certified by the program staff, the MMWR. dit. The program recorded a 62% increase in patients receiving treatment, from 25,553 in 2012 to 41,387 in 2020, which corresponds to an increase of almost 68% in those enrolled during this same period.
Last year alone, the CDC reported that nearly 31% of cancer patients in the program had skin cancer, more than 23% had cancer that affected the male genital system, and nearly 12% had “neoplasms in situ “or cancers that had not yet spread. The digestive system and breast cancer accounted for approximately another 8% of patients.
But of the 50,611 enrolled facing noncancerous diseases as of 2020, 46,072 patients developed respiratory and digestive conditions, while 18,450 members reported mental health disorders, including PTSD, depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Members could have conditions in more than one group.
And with the rising age of registrants, the report predicted an increase in the use and cost of their services. Chronic diseases and more common comorbidities among older adults could make treatment of 11/11-related conditions even more difficult, according to the report.
“The findings of this report highlight the need for further research due to the persistent and emerging WTC-related health conditions in an aging population,” the study said.