9/11-Linked Cancer Cases Continue to Rise Ahead of 25th Anniversary of Attacks
As the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks approaches, health experts are issuing warnings about a continued rise in cancer cases linked to exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero. Frank Kotnik, a retired New York City Department of Transportation employee who worked extensively in the aftermath, was diagnosed with bladder cancer over two decades later. Similarly, Felicia Ivey-Toure, a mental health counselor who worked near Ground Zero, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer years after the event. Northwell Health's World Trade Center Cancer Program has recorded 811 new cancer cases in the past 42 months, marking a 75% increase from three years prior. The World Trade Center Health Program currently enrolls 145,000 patients, with over 57,000 having battled cancer, primarily prostate, skin, breast, and urinary tract cancers.
