Asbestos Exposure at Ground Zero

In September 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City. At the end, thousands of lives were lost when the towers collapsed rapidly. When the towers collapsed, they left nothing but rubble, debris, and dust. To respond to this disaster, rescue teams were quickly formed of policemen, firefighters, and volunteers that all worked to save as many lives as possible after the attacks. Unfortunately, while these individuals were behaving heroically, they were putting their own lives at risk due to the deadly toxins that were released into the air when the towers collapsed.

The Twin Towers and much of the World Trade Center was constructed at the close of the golden age of asbestos use. The original plans for the towers, drawn up by the New York Port Authority, called for the lower 40 floors of the buildings to be crafted using 5,000 tons of asbestos fireproofing. This was designed to help support the buildings. Fortunately, as the health hazards associated with asbestos became more widely known, the builders decided to construct the buildings using less asbestos than the initial plans needed. Once the buildings were finished, more than half of the asbestos that was originally used was replaced with safer materials.

When the towers collapsed, despite the removal of much of the asbestos in the buildings, thousands of people were still exposed to asbestos and other airborne toxins. The exposed people include those who survived the collapse, first responders, nearby residents, and even workers hired to help clean up the debris left behind. In addition, the fires burning at Ground Zero in the months after the initial collapse released thousands of heavy metals and carcinogens like barium, mercury, and asbestos into the atmosphere.

Following the attacks, countless people who were exposed to the pollution are suffering from symptoms of respiratory illnesses. These illnesses include difficulty breathing, coughing, asthma, and even lung cancer and mesothelioma. As the years have gone on, it has become increasingly obvious that more people than initially thought have been infected.

The New York State Department of Health released a study at the beginning of 2008 that detailed the health effects of being exposed to the toxins since 2001. Since the attacks, roughly 200 of those who were initially exposed to the pollutants at Ground Zero have died. Of the 200 people that have died, 55 of those workers were victims of lung cancer. In addition, a minimum of 62% of people exposed to the dust and debris after the attacks have reported trouble breathing and other respiratory complications.

For more information on asbestos and its dangers, please visit http://www.mesolawsuit.com.

Joseph Devine

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