Collapse and damage of older buildings like the World Trade Center can release toxic materials into the air, including asbestos.

Anyone who witnessed the tragedy at the World Trade Center (WTC) in 2001 remembers the smell – an acrid, chemical odor and taste in the air, especially in downtown Manhattan. So, what exactly was in that smoke and dust? For starters, burning plastic releases dioxins, a highly toxic compound and environmental pollutant.

Not to mention, the North Tower included at least 300-400 tons of asbestos that was in its construction as a flame retardant. The exact mixture of toxins known by City Hall to be released into the air has never been made public. But that may soon change.

In terms of death rate, Louisiana had 5.9 asbestos-related deaths per 100,000 population during the 1999-2017 period. (Higher than the national average death rate of 4.9.)

After 9/11, air may not have been as safe to breathe as claimed by authorities.

Shockingly, just a week after 9/11 in 2001, Christine Todd Whitman, head of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), announced that the air was safe to breathe. Whitman was later criticized in a 2003 EPA report for making false claims with no supporting evidence, and research now suggests Whitman’s claims were not only false, but deadly. They likely caused many to forgo testing to determine what had been ingested and perhaps seek treatment. Recently, Mayor Eric Adams agreed to unseal documents, at the request of Congress representatives Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler, containing information about what first responders and others were exposed to at Ground Zero.

What Was in The World Trade Center Dust Plume?

Smoke and debris from the World Trade Center collapse likely contained asbestos and other toxic substances.

Initial data showed 2,753 people lost their lives on September 11, 2001, but the death toll in the wake of the terrorist attack is actually much larger due to the residual effects it has had since the tragedy. More than 100,000 first responders who were exposed to the plume have since lost their lives. It was made up of a dangerous mixture of airborne cement debris, asbestos and persistent organic pollutants, and the substances these first responders were subjected to were cancerous dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Those who worked directly in Ground Zero and are still living are also facing short-term and long-term effects.

Asbestos was originally used in building the World Trade Center to help fireproof the building.

Before the end of asbestos use in buildings in the United States, between several hundred tons of the mineral fiber was present in the North Tower, acting as a heat-resistant flame retardant. When this large concentration of asbestos caught fire, the particles were sent airborne. The residue was inhaled or swallowed and, in addition to the first responder death toll, it has caused 400,000 civilian fatalities. Along with asbestos, the cloud contained heavy metals including lead, mercury, and cadmium, a carcinogen that is poisonous to the kidneys.

Totaling the actual number of lost lives, there has been more than half a million people who have died as a result. This is exponentially higher than what was originally reported, and there is likely to be even more deaths in the years to come.

Do You Qualify For Compensation?

Quickly and easily find out how you were exposed by searching W.A.R.D., the largest asbestos database on the planet.

FREE SEARCH >

Can toxic substances like asbestos affect 9/11 Survivors?

The dust plume caused a persistent cough in many New York residents for up to a month, which continues to affect them two decades later in the form of lung cancers and other directly linked diseases. Persistent ailments that witnesses and first responders may face include asthma, sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic rhinosinusitis, laryngitis, and a range of aggressive cancers including lymphoma and mesothelioma.

Long-term damage to first responders and others exposed in 9/11 is still somewhat unclear.

Experts have warned that no one knows the extent of the damage yet and other diseases may crop up in the future. In general, researchers have come to the conclusion that first responders on site are getting cancer at a 9 percent higher rate than the general public, are at a 41 percent higher risk of leukemia, a 25 percent higher risk of prostate cancer, and a 219 percent higher risk of thyroid cancer.

Even lifelong smokers can collect compensation for asbestos damage.

Many of our clients believed they weren’t eligible to file an asbestos lawsuit because they were cigarette and cigar smokers.

This isn’t true under the laws of many states.

Our database contains the medical evidence needed to show that smokers who are exposed to asbestos are far more likely to develop cancer than smokers who weren’t exposed to asbestos. Cigarettes and asbestos are far more dangerous than cigarettes or asbestos.

Mayor Adams Stands with New York

“September 11, 2001 was devastating to responders, survivors and their families. As I stood with them then, I stand with them now, as we remember those that died in the attacks. I also stand with those that suffer from illnesses they have been forced to endure because of their proximity to Ground Zero.” – A message from Mayor Adams to Nadler and Maloney.

As an NYPD lieutenant who served alongside first responders that fateful day, Adams has taken this call to action seriously. Although previous NYC mayors have declined Nadler and Maloney’s request, Adams plans to brief the public on the severity of the World Trade Center plume with full transparency. This will mark the first time that members of congress will have access to City Hall’s files. In the very near future, the public will finally be privy to all of the details regarding what has long been viewed as a deadly coverup.

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

If you believe that your home was contaminated with asbestos, or you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being.

All without filing a lawsuit.

The largest database of asbestos information on the planet.

W.A.R.D., which stands for the Worldwide Asbestos Research Database, helps clients to narrow down when and where they may have been exposed, as well as which products may still contain asbestos. W.A.R.D. will also help indicate compensation types and how much a person may be entitled to.

If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.

Second-hand asbestos exposure (Secondary Asbestos Exposure)

Even the workers’ families were affected due to secondhand exposure—asbestos fibers are extremely durable and can cling to skin and clothing, traveling great distances with those directly exposed.

Asbestos fibers have no taste or smell, and can be microscopic, so you may not realize you were breathing them. Unfortunately, many workers’ families and other household members were exposed to asbestos as well, as asbestos was brought home daily in neighborhoods across the U.S. on work-clothing.

This is often known as secondary or second-hand asbestos exposure (or domestic / household family asbestos exposure). In studies of asbestos disease, 1 in 5 cases of asbestos exposure were caused by secondary asbestos exposure. But spouses and children can also receive a share of the $30 Billion in asbestos trust compensation if they were exposed to asbestos brought into the house or family vehicle by a worker.

Sources:

“Cancer: A Lasting Legacy of the Sept. 11 Attacks.” Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2020/09/9-11-cancer.

EPA’s Response to the World Trade Center Collapse: Challenges … https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-12/documents/wtc_report_20030821.pdf.

Lippmann M, Cohen MD, Chen LC. Health effects of World Trade Center (WTC) Dust: An unprecedented disaster’s inadequate risk management. Crit Rev Toxicol. 2015 Jul;45(6):492-530. doi: 10.3109/10408444.2015.1044601. PMID: 26058443; PMCID: PMC4686342.

¹ Tompa E, Kalcevich C, McLeod C, Lebeau M, Song C, McLeod K, et al. The economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma due to occupational and para-occupational asbestos exposure. Occup Environ Med 2017; 74: 816-22.