With the recent yearly passing of the 14th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and my connection to them, I only felt fitting to write a post on the matter.
To start off, I have a very strong connection to the day, as do many others. My dad worked on the 100th floor of the North Tower, the first hit, with the tall spire. Luckily my dad was not up to his office yet, and he survived, many others were not as fortunate.
But, when I reflected on the people who lost their lives due to the attacks, 2,977 to be exact, it occurred to me that the death toll didn’t just end their. We give our prayers and our thanks to the people who gave their lives on that specific day, but in fact the death toll due to 9/11 is still rising today.
If you’re wondering how this is possible, it can happen in many ways. According to USAToday.com, 2,620 people have already been approved for eligibility from the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund for cancer-related issues, probably due to smoke inhalation. Other reasons include respiratory problems due to smoke and debris inhalation, asthma, sarcoidosis, and inhalation of jet fuel, asbestos, cement dust, silica, and glass fibers according to Health24.com.
So far this year, almost 21,000 people have filed for eligibility in the September 11th Victims compensation fund, and over 6,000 have been approved. Most of the approvals are of firemen and first-responders, approx. 5,300 in all. The amount of money given by this fund is now $1.44 billion (USAToday.com).
Another devastating result of the attacks is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. The Journal of Traumatic Stress found that over 30,000 first responders, residents, passersby, and recovery workers had suffered from PTSD or depression due to the attacks (Journal of Traumatic Stress). As most of us know, depression is one of the leading causes of suicide; suffice to say, the amount of suicides committed due to depression from the attacks is untraceable.
One of the most famous pictures from 9/11is the one of three first responders raising the American flag at Ground Zero, shown below.
Sadly, due to results of smoke and debris from the Ground Zero site, only the man on the right, Billy Eisengrein, is still alive today.
It is truly terrible what happened on this tragic day in 2001, and I offer anybody who knew someone who did’t have a family member return that night my condolences. Rest In Peace.
Sources:
http://www.health24.com/Medical/Cancer/News/The-911-death-toll-keeps-rising-20150911
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.21972/full
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/09/09/911-death-and-injury-total-still-rising/71943340/
Treatment for PTSD is often very hard. Also, it is unfortunately hard to test for all the possible illnesses caused by the debris and smoke. I also find it very sad that results like this still exist today. All I can hope for is that the long term impacts wear off on those who can be affected! Thanks for your comment!
First of all, allow me to salute you for serving in the armed forces. People like you allow us to write posts like this, you allow us to be free, so thank you for your service. And yes, the results due to smoke and debris are not surprising. Thankfully, nothing has arisen in my dad yet, fingers crossed! Again, thank your for your service, God Bless!
Thank you for your graciousness about my dad! I did not actually know about that asbestos problem, do you think I should tell my dad to maybe get tests done? Is that possible for mesothelioma? Thank you for your comment and interest!
9/11 was a terrible event for the people of America. What a blessing it is that your dad was not in his office yet when the right tower was struck. Although the immediate deaths of 9/11 are sad, I feel as though we forget that deaths related to 9/11 still happen today. From the asbestos standpoint, did you know that asbestos was built into the towers during its first construction in 1966? When the material was banned in 1971, it was no longer used. It did not pose a threat to anyone’s health until the towers were hit and asbestos poured down onto the streets of New York City. 410,000 people are estimated to be exposed to asbestos on that harrowing day, and in about 6 years, the world will start to see the results of the asbestos entering their lungs through diseases like mesothelioma.
This day holds special meaning to me as a Infantryman serving in the Armed Forces for this great nation. To see the people I defend still being effected by this day drives me on knowing that I need to push myself further and faster than ever before to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. The fact that so many people have developed cancer from the smoke and debris is not surprising and nor should it be. That much smoke and fumes that people were exposed to that day at ground zero would most definitely leave some effect on the body.
I am very glad someone found a way to honor the memorial and write about it. While we take time to remember what happened that day, we forget the lingering affects. I myself did not know these specific results. After seeing that people today are still filing for compensation, I wonder if there are ways we can be using science and medicine to help those affected before illness hits? I also wonder what kind of therapies can be used for the PTSD patients?