9/11 Toxic Exposure Has Killed More People Than the Attacks Themselves
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks killed 2,977 people. In the 25 years since, more than 9,000 people tracked by the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program have died, according to recent reporting. Officials caution that this figure includes deaths from all causes. It does not establish how many were directly caused by 9/11 exposure. […]
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, resulted in the death of 2,977 people. Since then, more than 9,000 individuals tracked by the World Trade Center Health Program have died, according to recent reports. This figure, while larger than the 9/11 death toll, is not a definitive count of deaths directly caused by the toxic exposure.
The health crisis extended well beyond the immediate aftermath of the attacks, affecting responders, survivors, residents, and workers for decades. The WTC Health Program, which now serves over 150,000 people, has documented about 85,000 health conditions related to the 9/11 exposure, with roughly half attributed to inhaling or swallowing toxic dust and about 30% involving cancer.
The initial response by the government, including assurances that the air was safe to breathe, proved to be incorrect, with newly released records revealing concerns about contamination despite these assurances. The release of over 170,000 pages of municipal records has reignited controversy and political disputes surrounding the 25th anniversary of the attacks, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani facing opposition from some victims' families while receiving support from others.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
