New report to shed light on lasting health impact of 9/11 rescue effort
NEW YORK -- The FDNY will release a landmark report Tuesday detailing the long-term health effects of the September 11 attacks on firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and other rescue and recovery workers, marking nearly 25 years since the terrorist attack.
The report, produced by the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, draws on decades of research and medical monitoring and examines the health of first responders, officers, civilians and retirees who participated in rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero.
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, Chief of Department John Esposito and Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Prezant are expected to discuss the findings during a presentation at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn at 3 p.m.
The report comes as New York prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks later this month. Organizers of the annual 9/11 Memorial & Museum ceremony recently announced a new seventh moment of silence that will become a permanent part of the commemoration.
According to the World Trade Center Health Program, more than 9,000 people have died from illnesses linked to the attacks and their aftermath, a toll that now exceeds the number of people killed on September 11, 2001.
Families of victims will gather on Sept. 11 at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza to read the names of the 2,983 people killed in the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
