NYC Asbestos Alert: 9/11 Health and Compensation Act Still In Limbo
The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, a measure that would benefit many people exposed to asbestos and other hazardous materials at Ground Zero, is still awaiting review by President Obama, and also needs polishing from both the House and the Senate. The $11 billion bill aims to provide three decades of health care coverage for all of the estimated 400,000 people who became ill after working at the site of the World Trade Center disaster. In addition, the bill would provide compensation to families of deceased workers.
Obama admits that he has “not looked at all the details” of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, but added, “But everybody here wants to make sure that those who showed such extraordinary courage and heroism during 9/11, that they are fittingly cared for.”
After the towers collapsed, plumes of pulverized cement, asbestos, and other building materials were sent into the air, where they wafted from Lower Manhattan to places as far south as Staten Island. Inhaling airborne asbestos particles can lead to serious health problems that range from scarring of the lining of the lungs to lung cancer to mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of cancer that can kill within months of being diagnosed.
Mesothelioma has no cure, but some patients do benefit from chemotherapy. Sadly, the majority of patients suffering from this disease pass away within two years of being diagnosed.
John Feal was part of the clean up effort at Ground Zero, and was badly hurt when a large piece of steel fell on his foot. “But I was lucky,” said Feal “I got hurt, I didn’t get sick.” When asked if he thought Obama would pass the bill, Feal said, “I believe the president is going to do the right thing.”
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