Ground Zero hero, 34, dies [Black Lung, mercury on brain]

Newsday ^ | 1/8/06 | Lindsay Faber

[saquin]

A young police detective who spent nearly 500 hours sifting through rubble at Ground Zero has died of a lung disease connected to his cleanup efforts, police union officials said yesterday.

James Zadroga, 34, who died Thursday at his parents' New Jersey home, retired from the NYPD in July 2004 because of his deteriorating health. He is the first emergency worker to die from constant exposure to the Sept. 11 wreckage at the World Trade Center, said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association.

A high-ranking police source said the department does not have the medical authority to link Zadroga's death to his work at Ground Zero.

An autopsy was being done by the Ocean County, N.J., medical examiner's office.

Zadroga was inside Building 7 at the World Trade Center when it began to collapse on the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001. After narrowly escaping death, he spent nearly 500 hours over the next month and a half at the site, searching for victims amid tons of debris and dirt, Palladino said.

According to Palladino, many detectives even stayed at the site beyond their daily tours of duty, working on their own time.

Zadroga became ill about a month after returning to the Manhattan South Precinct in late 2001. He died at his parents' home in Little Egg Harbor, N.J., of black lung disease and mercury on the brain, Palladino said.

[IronChefSakai]

That's terrible. But what would have had mercury in it?

[HarleyLady27]

God Rest his Soul and thank you for what you did...prayers for family and friends....

[ExcursionGuy84]

I can understand Mercury metal being released in the collapse of the WTC....but whereabouts could it have come from?

1970's construction techniques?

[Paladin2]

Hg is in fluorescent lamps [the tube shaped bulbs anyway].

[Atlas Sneezed]

Mercury is found in certain light bulbs, and in certain thermostat switches.

However, I remain initially skeptical. People do get sick and die, and working at ground zero would not be expected to be made immune from this. I am more interested in studies of all those who worked in the area, with a control group of similar city emergency workers who were not there.

I also wonder if the deceased was a smoker.

[saquin]

Also, it's in the excerperted part of the article, at the end...this man's wife died in 2004. They have a 4-year-old daughter who's now an orphan. So sad.

[Dane]

nancy pelosi will be out with a statement saying that this is Bush's fault.

[saquin]

However, I remain initially skeptical. People do get sick and die, and working at ground zero would not be expected to be made immune from this.

Well, I'm always skeptical, too, and I hope they do some good studies on this. It does seem an odd thing for a 34-year-old to die of... black lung and mercury on the brain.

[patton]

Smoking does not cause mercury poisoning. Sheez.

[Xenalyte]

he spent nearly 500 hours over the next month and a half at the site

500 hours in six weeks is 83 hours a week. If he worked six days a week, that's almost 14 hours a day. If he worked all seven days, that's close to 12 hours a day.

That seems like sort of a high number to me.

[Mike Darancette]

James Zadroga, 34, who died Thursday at his parents' New Jersey home, retired from the NYPD in July 2004 because of his deteriorating health.

Her is as much a victim of Islamic perfidy and the other 9/11 casualties.

Rest in Peace.

[GretchenM]

Perhaps regs will come out of the tragedy, forcing rotations of the rescue and clean up workers.

[saquin]

If I remember correctly, people did work extraordinarily long hours in those first weeks.

[EBH]

Here is one theory. It is a combination of the flourescent tubes and depending on the person his dental amalgam. Crazy...

http://www.altcorp.com/dentalinformation/haleymercury.htm

[Sweetjustusnow]

Another victim of the attack on our nation. God Bless him. He did what he could and sacrificed his life. Everyone in NYC and the country should be reminded, over and over again, what the attack cost us all.

[gridlock]

But what would have had mercury in it?

About 400,000 Flourescent light bulbs. Also about 10,000 thermostat switches. And that's just off the top of my head. Give me an hour and I'm sure I could think another dozen or so sources.

[DustyMoment]

Sad. Undying thanks to this hero for his dedication.

Prayers for his family and loved ones.

[peyton randolph]

Perhaps regs will come out of the tragedy, forcing rotations of the rescue and clean up workers.

I suspect that increased OSHA regs will be the only thing coming out of a Democrat administration as a response to terrorism.

[soloNYer]

The blame for his death will not be as a result of terrorists. It will be: he died as a result of our environmental policies, which have been worsened by the Bush administration....critics say.