More than 12,000 FDNY firefighters diagnosed with 9/11-related illness since terror attacks, department report says

The FDNY has identified 12,161 members of the department who have been diagnosed with at least one condition related to the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, including 451 active on 9/11 who have since died, according to a report released Tuesday.

The report analyzed the health effects on first responders, both firefighters and EMS, on Sept. 11 and in the 25 years that followed. 

Besides the firefighters active at the time of the attacks, about 157 retired firefighters who helped with recovery efforts have also died from 9/11-related illnesses, bringing the total death toll of FDNY personnel, including EMS, to more than 600, fire officials said.

When the Twin Towers collapsed, 343 firefighters died. The NYPD, which was not covered in the report, lost 23 officers on 9/11 and hundreds more from 9/11-related illnesses.

"Sadly, we know that 9/11 was not a one-day event for our department. It is a day that continues to sicken our members, with many of them eventually succumbing to the disease related to the heroic work in the rescue and recovery efforts," FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said Tuesday.

The report also said monitoring and treatment under the World Trade Center Health Program, which covered nearly 16,000 firefighters and EMS personnel,  has led to better survival rates and treatment.

FDNY cancer patients have had better survival rates than the general population in New York, city officials said. Of those diagnosed with World Trade Center-related cancers, 86% of patients were still alive five years after their diagnosis.

 "Though these are hard times and a heavy time of year for us, there is good news here too. Yes, our members are still getting sick, and sadly, they are dying," Bonsignore said. "We have data-driven outcomes that show that our program produces real lifesaving impacts, and that translates into more time with your loved ones, more birthdays, more holidays, weddings and graduations."

The health program now covers nearly all cancers and, as of last year, the report said more than 4,200 members are certified for cancer care, including 1,000 of whom have had more than one cancer. The most common cases identified were nonmelanoma skin cancer, followed by prostate cancer.

The World Trade Center Health Program has conducted 230,000 monitoring exams, nearly 500,000 treatments and 221,000 mental health visits. Of those first responders active on 9/11, 87% of members have retired and 14,000 remain enrolled. 

Nearly 4,500 firefighters were certified for at least one mental health condition. More than 2,100 FDNY rescue and recovery workers, or 14% of first responders, were certified for post-traumatic stress disorder. Nearly 25 years later, about 6% still have symptoms, according to the report.

The report also said the WTC Health Program has made "major advances" in identifying and treating WTC-related health conditions, including reducing respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough and shortness of breath.

But officials are still seeking coverage of conditions including cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases and memory loss.

Those who arrived at the Twin Towers in the hours immediately after the attacks had about a 38% increased risk of a cardiovascular disease than those who arrived in the days and weeks afterward, the report found.

There were 529 cases of cardiovascular disease diagnosed in the first 16 years following the terror attacks, according to the report.

Firefighters were equipped with self-contained breathing apparatuses, but they could only be used for about 15 minutes, according to the report. Few respirators were available at Ground Zero and the report said dust masks offered little support from the cloud that lingered over lower Manhattan.

"That massive dust cloud, followed by fires, burned for months until December, and the recovery effort, repeatedly being exposed to dust and toxins, lasted until July of 2002 for a 10-month exposure for some of our members," FDNY Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Prezant said. 

"There was a different smell to us. It didn't smell like a regular fire," Prezant said. "In a regular fire if you stick out your hand, you can see it. Here in that dust cloud, you could not see the hand in front of your face, and that lasted for several days."

Officials said cardiovascular disease was recently denied by the federal government as a 9/11-related illness, but officials are still working to add it and other emerging illnesses to the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was renewed in February to cover claims through 2090.

The report said there was also concern that some pollutants from Ground Zero have been linked to other diseases such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. There has not been an increase of deaths, but Prezant said officials are reviewing data.

“Over the past 25 years, so many of our members have passed, and thousands of us have become sick from exposure during the recovery effort,” FDNY firefighters and officers union heads said in a statement. “Those of us who remain cannot change the WTC exposures that we experienced, but we can improve our health through medical monitoring, early diagnosis and treatment.”

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