Council: Reassess 9/11 cancer link
The City Council will consider a resolution today that asks the federal government to reconsider a report released this summer that says there is no link between Ground Zero toxins and first responders who now have cancer.
In the Committee on Civil Service and Labor meeting this morning, members will address a resolution asking Dr. John Howard, director of the World Trade Center Health Program, to “examine new evidence indicating a link between exposure to Ground Zero toxins and cancer.”
Council members want cancer added to the list of Ground Zero illnesses covered under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, such as asthma and chronic cough.
In July, Howard announced that cancer would not be included, saying not enough medical findings exist to prove that responders’ cancer was caused by toxic fumes they inhaled in cleaning up Ground Zero.
Responders hope that will change in the face of new research, such as an FDNY study released last month that showed that responders who worked on Ground Zero have increased rates of cancer.
Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter @AlistonatMetro.
