July 31, 2008 – Nearly seven years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks destroyed the Twin Towers many New Yorkers continue to suffer from mental and physical health problems. In response, the Centers for Disease Control recently announced it would contribute a grant of $30 million toward treatment for people who have experienced health problems after the event.
The collapse of the World Trade Center towers created and dispersed an enormous cloud of dust that was full of toxins and harsh chemicals, including asbestos dust, lead dust, glass fibers, and toxic gases. A very toxic mineral, asbestos is known to cause a range of terminal diseases. These illnesses include, but are not limited to, asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Many people who breathed in the dust, including local residents, office workers, firefighters, and volunteer rescue workers, have since developed serious health problems such as severe lung disease and certain types of cancer. Exposure to the traumatic events of the day and the days after has also caused many people to suffer from anxiety, depression, and signs of trauma.
Area hospitals, including Bellevue and Gouverneur hospitals in Manhattan and Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, continue to provide treatment and monitoring for people with health problems related to the events of 9/11. These services are provided at no cost for the people who need them, but the money must come from somewhere, and some hospitals have been feeling the pinch. As time passes, treatment of asbestos-related diseases may cause an increase in costs. Illnesses caused by asbestos usually take 15 or more years to develop, and can be very expensive to treat. For example, mesothelioma treatment is very expensive since the cancer is quite aggressive and treatments require intensive medical attention and equipment.
Chris Constantino, Executive Director of Elmhurst Hospital says the grant “would be a welcome infusion of money that would allow Elmhurst Hospital Center to continue treating patients with WTC-related illnesses. Our doctors began seeing patients involved in the cleanup shortly after it began; and have been operating since September 2007 as part of the expansion of Bellevue Hospital’s World Trade Center Environmental Health Center.”
According to Dario Centrocelli, Elmhurst Hospital’s associate executive director for External Affairs, the full effects of the Twin Towers’ collapse are not yet known, as those who were present at the site continue to develop various and often rare types of cancer and other diseases as a result of exposure to heavy dust, smoke, and toxins.
Centrocelli says Elmhurst is currently treating around 150 people with WTC-related illnesses and says hospitals in the area encourage people to visit their doctor or another health professional for the treatment of such illnesses, including mental disorders as well as physical ailments.
Counseling and treatment is available for people suffering depression and other disorders related to the attacks. Monitoring and treatment for physical illnesses is also available. People who were present but have not developed symptoms of disease should also be aware that the long-term effects are unknown. These people are highly advised to have regular checkups to screen for signs of WTC-related diseases.

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