AP | WashingtonPost.com

– Here is a look at the 30 plaintiffs being considered for the first trials among the thousands who claim work at ground zero made them sick.

JOBS: 12 worked for the New York Police Department, eight for the Fire Department, three for Con Edison, two for the Port Authority police, one for the New York City Transit Authority, one for the Camden County Sheriff’s Department in New Jersey, one for the Cresskill Police Department in New Jersey and two in construction.

TIME AT GROUND ZERO: At least a dozen said they were there on 9/11. Others came later, spending between a day or two to many months at the site.

DEATHS: Firefighter Ray Hauber died of throat cancer in 2007 at age 47. Police Sgt. Michael O’Loughlin died of colon cancer in 2006 at 39. Con Ed worker Darren Mitchell, diagnosed with cancer, died in 2005 at 38.

BREATHING PROBLEMS: A majority complain of having symptoms similar to asthma, with recurrent wheezing, shortness of breath and sinus problems. Most didn’t report starting to feel sick until years after the attacks.

CANCER: Five say they got cancer from World Trade Center dust. Aside from Hauber, O’Loughlin and Mitchell, they include police officer Mindy Hersh, 49, diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and fellow NYPD officer Paul Gerasimczyk, age 50.

AGES: A majority are middle aged. Nearly half are over 50. Another third are in their 40s.

Michael McAuliff | NYDailyNews.com

Angry Sept. 11 responders say President Obama has offered sympathy but no support for their appeal to champion their cause in Congress.

A group of 9/11 widows and rescue workers recently wrote Obama, asking his help to pass a bill that would fund care for ailing responders over the next 30 years.

Obama wrote back Tuesday, the Daily News has learned, saying he understands their plight and values their heroism.

“The individuals suffering health ailments from Sept. 11 and its aftermath deserve proper medical attention,” the President wrote. “You served selflessly, and your concerns are of great importance to our country. I remain committed to supporting the heroes of Sept. 11.”

But he left out whether he’d get behind the bill.

“It’s a nice letter, and I will put it in my scrapbook,” said former construction worker John Feal, who lost half a foot at Ground Zero. “But it’s no more than a souvenir unless he supports that bill.”
Read the rest of this entry »

LooseChange911.com
theAveryFoundation.com

An FDNY veteran who worked tirelessly at Ground Zero and pushed for better health benefits for first responders died Sunday after a battle with cancer.

John McNamara, 44, spent 10 years with the FDNY and was diagnosed with colon cancer in the aftermath of his time at Ground Zero.

McNamara spent about 500 hours looking for his fallen brethren at the site where the World Trade Center once stood, and his plight was part of a documentary called “Save the Brave,” which chronicled the lives of ailing rescue workers.

McNamara, who was assigned to Ladder 123 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, also joined the FDNY’s rescue mission to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

He became ill in June 2006 and the cancer spread to his liver and stomach.

Though gravely ill, he spent his remaining years fighting for better testing and health benefits for firefighters who worked at Ground Zero.
Read the rest of this entry »

Karen Pallarito | CNN.com 

About 1 in 7, or 13.5 percent of adults who encountered intense dust clouds after the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11 were later found to have asthma, compared with just 8.4 percent who had no dust cloud exposure, researchers in Atlanta and New York City reported on Tuesday.

Likewise, among various groups of people connected to the Twin Tower collapse, rescue and recovery workers were more likely to have a diagnosis of asthma (12.2 percent) than passers-by (8.4 percent).

The results are from a survey, conducted from November 2006 through December 2007, to assess the health status of more than 46,000 adults five to six years after the disaster.

That such a horrific event left lasting physical and emotional scars is, perhaps, no great surprise. Among adults with no prior diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 23.8 percent have reported symptoms after September 11, and the prevalence of symptoms has increased over time, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The mental health effects, which can be debilitating and often chronic, “seem to be the largest health problem coming out of 9/11” says Lorna Thorpe, Ph.D., the deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Division of Epidemiology and one of the coauthors of the study. “But immediately after the 9/11 event, I don’t think there was a clear understanding of what the physical impacts would be.”

People in the vicinity of the collapse had “the potential to inhale huge amounts of particulate matter,” observes Joan Reibman, M.D., an associate professor of medicine and environmental medicine at the New York University School of Medicine and the director of the school’s Bellevue Asthma Center, who was not involved in the study. “We think that could act as a real irritant to the airways.”

Read the rest of this entry »

R8NY.com

Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Michael McMahon (D-NY) today applauded the
House passage of $70,723,000 in funding for the World Trade Center Health
Programs for Fiscal Year 2010.  The funding was included in the FY2010
Labor and Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill, which passed the House
today.  The lawmakers, along with Rep. Peter
King (R-NY), are sponsors of the  9/11 Health and
Compensation Act (H.R. 847), which would provide long-term,
comprehensive health care and compensation for those sickened or injured in the
aftermath of 9/11.

“The heroes and heroines of 9/11 deserve a helping hand from the
federal government –it’s the least we can do as a grateful
nation.  This $70 million in federal funding will keep the doors of 9/11
health clinics open until we pass comprehensive 9/11 health legislation,
hopefully by the eighth anniversary of the attacks,” said Rep.
Maloney.  “I thank President Obama and my colleagues in the House
for their continued support of the men and women who came to the aid of the
country after 9/11.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Stephanie Gaskell | NYPost.com 

Nearly 2,000 sick 9/11 first responders could be left without medical care while a New Jersey hospital battles with the federal government for more money, the Daily News has learned.

The Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in ., says it expects to run out of federal funding next month.

It has requested more money, but the Office of Management and Budget in Washington has disputed the hospital is broke.

“The promise is that the check’s in the mail,” said Dr. James Melius, of the New York State Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund. “But it’s been in the mail now for two months.”

A hospital spokesman confirmed that they’re waiting for more funding but said he’s hopeful the money will come in time.

An OMB spokesman didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

But for Charles Giles, a former EMT worker who responded to the World Trade Center attacks, every day without knowing how he will get the medical care he needs is terrifying.

Giles, who takes 28 medications a day, has been treated at the institute for respiratory problems for the past two and a half years.

He said hospital officials told him they were no longer taking appointments past July. “If this place closes, I’m screwed,” Giles, 41, told The News.

Michael McAuliff | NYDailyNews.com

Two busloads of Sept. 11 workers made what’s become an annual pilgrimage to Washington Tuesday, pleading for Congress to help the thousands of rescuers and responders left to battle 9/11-induced illness on their own.

About 80 former rescue workers and family appealed at a hearing for lawmakers to reopen the Sept. 11 Victims’ Compensation Fund to aide some 11,000 people who have gotten ill since the fund closed in 2005 from their work at Ground Zero, and have since sued the city and contractors.

They got skepticism from some GOP lawmakers, but won support from the former boss of the expired compensation fund, Ken Feinberg, who said the massive effort should be restarted to end the expensive, time-consuming litigation.

“The only reason they’re litigating is because the 9/11 fund compensated their brethren, but could not compensate them before it expired,” said Feinberg. “They would have met all the criteria and they would have been compensated.”

Legislation sponsored by Manhattan Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler, who chaired the Judiciary subcommittee hearing, would reopen the fund for 22 years, allowing people with slower developing ailments like cancer to be compensated for sacrificing themselves on Sept. 11, 2001.
Read the rest of this entry »

House.gov

Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY), and Michael McMahon (D-NY) today hailed the House passage of the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (H.R. 1105), which contains $70 million in new funding for federal 9/11 health programs. The new funding, combined with $112 million carried over from previous years, will cover the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program’s $182 million estimated cost for FY 2009.

“The $70 million in this bill will ensure that the heroes of 9/11 can get the care they need for another year,” Maloney said. “Once again, I thank Chairman David Obey for helping fulfill our nation’s moral responsibility to help those who are sick as a result of 9/11. With the support of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi, we hope to pass comprehensive legislation this year to provide long-term care and compensation to 9/11 responders, lower Manhattan residents, and others in need.”

“With $70 million now approved in the Appropriations bill, the WTC Centers of Excellence are guaranteed full funding for the rest of the year,” said Rep. Nadler. “$182 million in federal funding for the WTC health program will ensure that we can continue, without interruption, to monitor and treat first responders and community members living with 9/11-related illnesses. Thanks again to Congressman Obey for making sure this program will continue.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t forget to call your Congressmen and tell them you support the James Zadroga Bill.

Fealgood Foundation President and Founder John Feal makes an appeal on behalf of 9/11 First Responders and Recovery Workers sick after toxic exposures at Ground Zero. He is joined byTheresa Quibell, widow of Responder Greg Quibell, and Glen Klein, NYPD Detective (retired).

9/11 Health Bill Reintroduced in Congress

See Draft Letter HERE.

See Draft Phone Conversation HERE.

Today, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY), and Michael McMahon (D-NY) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to address the health crisis caused by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. H.R. 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, would provide medical monitoring and treatment for those exposed to toxins released by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The bill would also provide compensation for economic losses due to illnesses or injuries caused by the attacks.

The previous version of the bill was set to be considered by the House last fall but because of the financial crisis and other factors, it had to be delayed. The Members of Congress are hopeful that the bill will have strong bipartisan support when it is voted on by the House in the coming months. In addition, during his presidential campaign President Barack Obama signaled his strong support for helping the heroes and heroines of 9/11.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wisconsin State Journal   

Officials with Logistics Health Inc. on Monday blamed the federal government for delays in implementing a program to provide health care for responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Company officials, including former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, responded angrily Monday to a Wisconsin State Journal story that raised questions about Logistics Health’s performance on an $11 million one-year contract with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an agency that Thompson once headed.

The story quoted critics as saying that reimbursement for health-care costs and regular medical monitoring for more than 4,000 people enrolled in the program had lagged for months after the La Crosse-based company began handling the contract in July. Thompson, who is president of LHI, and other company officials had declined to talk about the contract before the story was published. It calls for LHI to provide health care and regular health monitoring exams to ailing 9/11 responders who live outside the New York City area.
Read the rest of this entry »

A total auditorium capacity crowd of 42,000 at London’s Excel Centre listened to 9/11 Survivor, William Rodriguez, during the international two-day Global Peace & Unity Event , organized and sponsored by the Islam Channel. This was William Rodriguez’s third appearance at the GPU event . During his visit to UK he made appearances in National Media and held meetings for activists and celebrities.

William Rodriguez is currently in the UK, and is doing some media along the way. This was broadcast on Tuesday the 21st of October, 2008.

09/29/2008 10:14 AM

By: NY1 News

Congress has abandoned legislation to provide billions of dollars in health care for September 11th recovery workers.The program would have provided long term care for workers who were at the World Trade Center on or shortly after September 11, 2001 at an estimated cost of at least $5 billion.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg strongly objected to a part of the bill that would have forced the city to pay for 10 percent of the program, saying it would place an undue burden on city taxpayers.

In addition, the legislation would have reopened the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, adding around $6 billion to the plan.

The legislation had the backing of several New York congressmen but was overshadowed by negotiations surrounding the financial bailout.

http://www.departure-productions.com/respond/Donte at the Feal Good Foundation to help First Responders.Respond is a short, 7 minute compilation which depicts the health effects of the toxic dust from the World Trade Center collapse on 9/11 first responders. These heroes volunteered their time after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and are now paying the ultimate price.Please feel free to download a DVD image of this video, burn it to disc, and show first responders in your area what their brothers and sisters in New York are going through.This video was edited using footage from Dust To Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11 and The 9/11 Chronicles Part 1: Truth Rising.The footage was not used with permission, and this video is not for sale. If you have paid money for this video, please report the pirate you bought it from.The creators of this video are not associated with the Fealgood Foundation in any way, but we appreciate their fine efforts, and we encourage you to find a way to support them and the 9/11 first responders who are suffering.

A janitor who worked in one of the World Trade Center towers and helped save lives on 9/11, in addition to witnessing what he described as “explosions” in the tower basement, has committed suicide.

The New York Daily News reported yesterday that Kenny Johannemann shot himself in the head last Sunday, August 31, 2008.

Mr Johannemann’s suicide note stated that he was taking his own life as he was being evicted and could not handle homelessness. The note also stated that since 9/11 he had become depressed and had been drinking.

Here is the entire text of the note, a picture of which can be found here, as reported in the Daily News:

“The reason I killed myself was ’cause I was getting evicted and can’t handle homelessness. I was also very depressed since I was in 9/11. I’ve been drinking way too much and it’s ruined my life. I’ve lost friends and family over drinking and I’m very lonely. There is nothing left for me to be happy about other than my cat. Sounds weird, but it’s true. I just wanted to say I’m sorry 2 any people I ever hurt in my life. I really was a good person when I wasn’t drinking. I hope people remember that.

Goodbye!!!

Kenny Johannemann”

Read the rest of this entry »

H.R. 3543

Support the Heroes of 9-11, visit and if you can donate to the FealGoodFoundation.com

Read the rest of this entry »