Posted on 03/14/2006 11:12:58 AM PST by Calpernia
For most of the past four years, they have been silent. But now some gravely ill New Jerseyans who toiled at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 are sharing their stories with Millennium Radio.
They are the men and women who could benefit from legislation inspired by reports on Millennium Radio and being crafted by State Senator Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge). Vitale is working on a bill that would provide a presumption to 9/11 responders that their illnesses were caused by their exposure to the toxic air they breathed both at Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills landfill. Then they would be eligible for ongoing, line-of-duty, work-related benefits.
Gary Acker of Columbus, a former AT&T worker who spent many a 12-hour shift near the pile, now has multiple myeloma. He survived the stem cell transplant that he says usually kills 75% of multiple myeloma patients, but says he may only have a few years left to live. Of those who get past the stem cell phase, 75% die within the first 5 years. "I used to win gold medals in the Empire State Games in the [upper age] categories in the hammer, javelin and shot put," says Acker. "And I didn't smoke."
"I know why I got sick," he says. "We had no masks, no respirators, the company provided nothing. I spend an awful lot of time in front of the television right now or sleeping. I have no energy. My energy level is down... but I am alive."
Acker is among more than 5,000 Ground Zero workers who have signed up for a class action lawsuit pending in Manhattan Federal Court that accuses government officials and construction contractors of exposing workers to dangerous levels of toxins at Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills landfill. Acker's attorney is David Worby.
"Gary's problems, for the medical community in New Jersey to learn, is a blood cell cancer. They are related to the leukemias. They all arise from cells that are working their way into the bone marrow, in lay person's terms to become normal white blood cells, they are 'malignacizing'. That's what leukemia is, that's what the multiple myelomas are, the non-Hodgkins lymphomas diseases. We now have dozens of people with these types of problems. And the single most important culprit was the benzene from the 91,000 liters of jet fuel lying on the ground burning for four months. And then the jet fuel benzene accelerates in its latency periods for blood cells cancers, myelomas, non-Hodgkins lymphomas, and leukemias when its in the prescence of dioxin and [other toxins]," says Worby.
Studies show that the air around Ground Zero contained a poisonous mix of pulverized concrete, powdered glass, asbestos, lead, mercury and cancer-causing compounds from burning jet and diesel fuel. Mount Sinai Medical Center doctors, who are monitoring the health of 15,000 responders, have identified patterns of symptoms that go far beyond the well-documented ailment known as World Trade Center cough. About 40% to 50% have persistent lower respiratory disease, and half have nasal and sinus problems. Many suffer from acid reflux.
An estimated 40,000 people responded to the collapse and worked on the recovery for months afterward. Twenty-three of them have died, according to attorneys and relatives of WTC recovery personnel. Some 9/11 related advocacy groups place the death toll even higher.
New York City officials and doctors who have treated Ground Zero workers warn that a medical connection has yet to be establshed. Affected workers face the likelihood of expensive medical treatments for years to come, but the federal government has put little aside to pay their health care tab.
Vincent Guastamacchi of Bedford, New Jersey, a heavy construction worker who volunteered on the pile the night after the attacks, tells me what he wants as he looks ahead to an uncertain future. He has bladder and prostate cancers and sever breathing problems.
"Just take care of us like they took care of every body else," he says as tears well up in his eyes. "We did the dirty work. We gave them back that site seven-months ahead of schedule. Just the money they saved on that alone would more than take care of us."
I only went in for 2 days. Not much happened until a week in. Thanks though.
Hi Alice, FR was down all day.
I remember threads here about emails, Hillary Clinton and the EPA. There was something up with that whole situation but I don't remember what it was.
I was new to FR then and I didn't know about bookmarking.
I think it smoldered until 12/2001 Old Friend.
There was an initial article I wanted to post this morning; but FR was down. That article disappeared around 11:00am.
The people that are showing symptoms now are dying. They will die.
Their concerns are their families being taken care of.
There was more in that article, I wish I copied it.
I think one of the issues is, not everyone that went during the first 2 weeks were first responders under the technical definition.
A bus came. No one talks about those buses, very strange.
Anyone that had any background at all in medical, retired MIL, police, fire, there was no screening, just got on and went.
There was no sign in. There is no proof that people were there.
It was about 2 weeks in that the recovery/rescue got organized and started restricting access to organized groups.
So I'm a freaking idiot.
I was there. It was impossible not to know the air was contaminated. It smelled like a bunson burner for months down there and I was amazed guys were refusing to wear their masks. Just a few minutes left your throat stripped and dry...
In those early days at Ground Zero, rescue workers were focused on finding survivors, regardless of personal risks involved. Even though time would later prove that no more survivors were to be found, the hope and faith of the rescue teams did not waver. Risking a life to save a life is a unique attribute of human behavior. Although admirable under these circumstances, this attitude created serious safety and health concerns.
Risk-taking was the norm—not the exception—at Ground Zero. As SH&E professionals, it was difficult to watch these activities. Under normal circumstances, doing nothing to stop risk-taking equates to condoning and accepting the risk, which is contrary to how SH&E professionals are trained to conduct their craft. But work at the site was anything but “normal.” The group quickly learned that trying to control human behavior under such extreme conditions was not possible. In the simplest terms, during those early days, we were forced to accept such risk-taking behavior—not an easy task for any team member.
Since no clear lines of authority had yet been established with regard to the team’s specific responsibilities, it was initially difficult to enforce even the simplest of SH&E principles at the site. As long as work at the WTC was considered “search and rescue” by the mayor’s office, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Fire Dept. of New York (FDNY) and the FDNY incident commander. As a public agency, FDNY took little direction from a private contractor.
Telling a firefighter, a police officer or any other worker at Ground Zero not to take risks during the first few weeks was simply not realistic. On one occasion, a senior commander told a safety representative from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that the first person to mention safety issues would literally be thrown off “his” site. He felt he had no time to worry about such things when there could still be survivors.
I'm 25 miles away in NJ. We were able to smell it out here too for months. We even had a foggy haze in the morning.
right that's what I meant, THEY REFUSED TO WEAR THEIR PROPER EQUIPMENT. THEY WERE "NOT" BEING PROFESSIONAL. They shouldn't sue. And the blame goes to that idiot EPA Commissioner former NJ Gov. Whitless who stated the area was clean.
It was impossible not to know the air was contaminated. >>
It was? how so?
What was the solution?
Did you want massive evacuations?
The smell. I will forever have nightmares about that smell.
You don't need a meter to tell you something isn't right.
It was like inhaling fiber glass ridden dirt and burnt flesh.
They should be taken care of.
They're all heroes.
I was there for two days as well. I was part of a Marine det that went up there to help. Who were you with?
I wasn't really with anyone. When the buses came, various people from our neighborhood got on. I went up two days, realized I wasn't of much use. I went and gave blood after that and switched off with my girlfriend watching everyone's children and animals that continued to go.
As time passes, I guess some forget the incredible emotions and sense of duty and patriotism that occurred after 9/11. Those EMS/FIRE/LEO and civilian workers who worked long, heart breaking hours in NYC or in DC in the aftermath, should be given a pass in my book.
Yes a fair number of scammers will benefit, but that is better than allowing even one person who paid the price by sacrificing their health to slip through the cracks. To those who "knew" the dangers of that environment continued to work for god and country without access to proper equipment, they are greater heroes than those who did not "know" the risks IMO.
I pity the person or agency, if any, that misled the workers to foolishly believe that working in that toxic whirlwind was in any way safe, because if God is just there will be a special place in Hell for them.
Yep, this is an emotional response to a problem that might best be handled by bean counters, but 9/11 was a unique time in the history of this great country and I believe the response is just and proper. What do we teach or kids if we don't take care of our these special people that most call heroes?
delete the "our" in the last sentence...doh!!!
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