Asbestos from 9/11 buildings is suspected of putting thousands of people at risk for lung diseases. When terrorists used airliners to attack the towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the destruction and damage done to the buildings released clouds of dust that contained toxins such as:
- Lead
- Asbestos
- PBCs
- Dioxin
- Furanes
- Mercury
- Benzene, and more
Buildings Constructed Before Asbestos Was Banned
The World Trade Center and Pentagon were built long before asbestos restrictions were put in place in the 1980s. About 400 tons of asbestos were used in the construction of the World Trade Center, for example. It's now estimated that more than 100,000 individuals may have suffered serious exposure to toxins such as asbestos from the 9/11 buildings, including:
- 4,000 first-responders (police, firefighters, emergency medical personnel)
- 80,000 tower workers (both volunteers and paid clean-up workers such as steelworkers, insulation workers, masons, pipefitters, machine operators, plumbers, structural engineers, boilermakers, carpenters, electricians, truckers, sheet metal workers, steamfitters, landfill workers)
- 30,000 residents of the Lower Manhattan region where Ground Zero is located
September 11th First Responders Hit Hardest
Most of the first responders were not wearing protective gear when they arrived at the scene on 9/11, and they probably inhaled a significant amount of asbestos fibers. An EMT (emergency medical technician) with the New York Fire Department, Deborah Reeve, is the first person whose death is linked to exposure to asbestos from 9/11 buildings; she died of mesothelioma cancer in early 2006.
Screenings have indicated that nearly 75% of the WTC first responders, workers, and local residents are suffering from respiratory problems.
Ground Zero Clean-Up Crews
Tens of thousands of people worked for months to clean up what became known as Ground Zero, taking away debris and transporting it to landfills. Although some of them wore protective gear (such as respirators), it may not have been adequate. Asbestos from the 9/11 buildings was in the air and in the buildings' debris that had to be removed.
WTC Neighborhood Residents
Thousands of people lived and worked in the Lower Manhattan area where the twin towers of the WTC stood, and many residents could not or chose not to leave the area after the towers collapsed. Five days after 9/11, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a news release stating that it was safe to return to the area. The clouds of toxic dust from the towers hovered over the area for weeks, exposing these residents and commuting employees to asbestos from the 9/11 buildings.
Medical and Legal Help for Asbestos Exposure
The symptoms of respiratory problems that can be caused by exposure to toxins include breathing difficulties, chest pain, and a persistent cough. If you have these symptoms, see a doctor. If you're one of the hundreds of thousands of people who may have been exposed to toxic asbestos from 9/11 buildings, contact an asbestos lawyer to discuss your legal rights and options.
