Here at McIntyre, Donohue, Accardi, Salmonson, & Riordan we have had the distinct honor of representing many first responders who heeded the call of duty on September 11, 2001 in obtaining Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability, and/or Accidental Disability benefits associated with their service.

One of these claimants was a Suffolk County Police Officer of the Motorcycle Unit assigned to various World Trade Center sites including Ground Zero. It was during this period that he was exposed to toxic debris and carcinogens for 11 hours at a time without any respiratory protection. This brave officer was subsequently diagnosed with a nearly fatal prostate cancer 17 years later that was deemed related to his earlier exposure at Ground Zero.

Unfortunately, our claimant is not alone in his diagnosis. There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that there may be a link between an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer and exposure to the fallout from September, 11 2001 as documented by the writer Janet Farrar Worthington:

“’The dust was an inflammatory insult to the body,’ says medical oncologist William Oh, M.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.  Oh and Mount Sinai epidemiologist Emanuela Taioli, M.D., Ph.D., recently published a study in Molecular Cancer Research showing that one of the inflammatory responses within the prostate was an increase in an inflammatory T cell, called Th-17, in men exposed to the toxic dust.

Oh believes that exposure to the toxins ‘increased the inflammatory cascade within the prostate, and this may have contributed to the risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer,’ particularly in first responders and volunteers who spent a lot of time searching for victims in the rubble.”

This research only highlights the absolute necessity for all first responders to follow up with their physicians on a regular basis to ensure their health and safety.

Additionally, if you or a loved one qualify as a first responder suffering from a similar 9/11- related illness, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact our office at (866) 557-7500 or visit our website to schedule a free consultation.

Shane L. Farrell

Associate Attorney

shane@licomplaw.com

Janet Farrar Worthington, Ground Zero and Prostate Cancer Prostate Cancer Foundation, (September 11, 2019) https://www.pcf.org/c/ground-zero-and-prostate-cancer/.