9/11 First Responder Dies Just Weeks After Congressional Testimony

Former NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez gave a passionate testimony before Congress earlier this month urging lawmakers to restore the 9/11 Compensation Victims Fund, which is set to expire next year. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 53 on Saturday.

Alvarez was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2016. The illness was reportedly related to the three months he spent searching for survivors and remains at Ground Zero shortly after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center.

“Please remember his words, ‘Please take care of yourselves and each other,’" Alvarez's family said in a statement. "We told him at the end that he had won this battle by the many lives he had touched by sharing his three year battle. He was at peace with that, surrounded by family. Thank you for giving us this time we have had with him, it was a blessing!”

The 9/11 Compensation Victims Fund was put in place to provide health care to first responder heroes like him. During his Capitol Hill testimony, Alvarez regretted that he even had to come to Washington in the first place, because renewing the fund should be a no-brainer.

"You made me come here the day before my 69th round of chemo, and I'm going to make sure that you never forget to take care of the 9/11 responders,'' he said.

Alvarez was accompanied by comedian Jon Stewart, who has been the most vocal and most prominent champion for the first responders. He chastised lawmakers for failing to show up to the hearing, referring to them as an "empty Congress."

"Sick and dying, they came down here to and speak," Stewart noted. "And no one? Shameful. It's an embarrassment to the country, and it is a stain on this institution."

Stewart singled out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for failing to rally the troops behind the first responders. McConnell initially defended his agenda against the comedian's charges, but as their feud subsided he met with the FealGood Foundation, a group of first responders, and pledged to hold a vote on the victims' fund.

Alvarez gave his final interview from a hospice bed on June 20, where he pledged to keep fighting for his fellow first responders.

"I'll do whatever I have to do to see my brothers and sisters who aren't covered, get the coverage that they need and the help they need," he said.

I believe statistically there is something to the medical ailments impacting those who responded to and worked the scene of 9/11 in Manhattan. I know a few and one of them has no sense of smell to this day - great guy who was NYPD. He still works in law enforcement.

This phenomenon has also been observed in the fire service and among fire investigators who have increased chances of contracting certain cancers. Our world today is largely made up of synthetic materials made from chemicals and we do not fully understand or know how exposures to combustion byproducts might impact our health. Those were very big fires and lest we forget, the “fire debris” landed on top of both piles when they collapsed.

On top of that, the clouds of fine dusts that were unleashed were persistent. It coated everything at ground zero and many breathed it in over days and even weeks. We don’t fully understand this either from a health standpoint other than it is bad considering OSHA respiratory protection requirements for dusts.

Have some likely milked the title for normal illness? Sure. You can see this at every VA hospital in America and I say that as a vet from a vet family. However, I would not deny potential causation of illnesses either. Every case is specific to the individual, but from what I have seen the numbers do not lie. Those at Ground Zero have a higher rate, much higher rate in some cases, of certain illnesses.

In hindsight, they should have worn respirators to dig out the scene and from what I have read and learned about it (in Hazmat training) the numbers are pretty consistent across the board among firefighters, police, and construction workers that did wear respiratory protection and those who did not having far more problems.

It was a nasty scene.

https://www.911benefits.com/2016/08/01/wtc-health-program-list-of-covered-conditions/

Individuals suffering from the following physical health conditions may be eligible for free medical treatment through the World Trade Center Health Program and financial compensation through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. In general, anyone who was present in Lower Manhattan below Canal Street, at the Fresh Kills landfill, on barges/trucks/piers along debris removal routes, the NYC Morgue, or at garages where emergency vehicles were cleaned between 9/11/01 and 5/30/02 may be eligible for free medical monitoring through the World Trade Center Health Program. Individuals who contracted one of the following covered illnesses listed on the WTC Health Program List of Covered Conditions may also be eligible for free treatment and medication, in addition to compensation through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

The WTC Health Program List of Covered Conditions is subject to change as the Health Program Administrator, Dr. John Howard, and the Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee continue to review research, statistics, and studies in order to identify new conditions for coverage.

Cancer
Blood and Lymphoid Tissue (including, but not limited to, lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma)
Diffuse non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Follicular (nodular) non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin’s disease
Leukemia of unspecified cell type
Lymphoid leukemia
Malignant immunoproliferative diseases
Monocytic leukemia
Multiple myeloma and malignant plasma cell neoplasms
Myeloid leukemia
Other and unspecified lymphoid, hematopoietic, and related tissue
Other and unspecified types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Other leukemias of specified cell type
Peripheral and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
Digestive System
Colon
Esophagus
Liver and intrahepatic bile ducts
Other and ill-defined digestive organs
Rectosignoid junction
Rectum
Retroperitoneum and peritoneum
Stomach
Eye and Orbit
Eye and adnexa
Female Breast
Ovary
Head and Neck
Accessory sinuses
Base of tongue
Floor of mouth
Gum
Hypopharynx
Larynx
Lip
Nasal cavity
Nasopharynx
Other and ill-defined conditions in the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx
Other and unspecified major salivary glands
Other and unspecified part of the mouth
Other and unspecified parts of the tongue
Oropharynx
Palate
Parotid gland
Piriform sinus
Tonsil
Respiratory System
Bronchus and lung
Heart, mediastinum, and pleura
Other and ill-defined sites in the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs
Trachea
Skin (Melanoma and non-Melanoma)
Malignant melanoma of skin
Other malignant neoplasms of skin
Scrotum
Soft Tissue
Other connective and soft tissue
Peripheral nerves and autonomic nervous system
Thyroid
Thyroid gland
Urinary System
Bladder
Kidney
Other and unspecified urinary organs
Prostate
Renal pelvis
Ureter
Mesothelioma
Aerodigestive Disorders (Airways and Digestive Disorders)
Asthma
Chronic cough syndrome
Chronic laryngitis
Chronic nasopharyngitis
Chronic respiratory disorder—fumes/vapors
Chronic rhinosinusitis
Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (“GERD”) (persistent heartburn)
Interstitial lung diseases (e.g., sarcoidosis)
Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS)
Sleep apnea exacerbated by or related to another condition described in the list of aerodigestive disorders
Upper airway hyperreactivity
WTC-exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
New-onset COPD
Mental Health Conditions (ineligible for compensation)
Acute stress disorder
Adjustment disorder
Anxiety disorder (not otherwise specified)
Depression (not otherwise specified)
Dysthymic disorder (persistent depressive disorder)
Generalized anxiety disorder
Major depressive disorder
Panic disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Substance abuse
Musculoskeletal Disorders (Responders only)
Responders who received treatment for a WTC-related musculoskeletal disorder, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or lower back pain, on or before September 11, 2003 are eligible for coverage.
Acute Traumatic Injury
Responders and survivors who received treatment for a WTC-related acute traumatic injury on or before September 11, 2003 are eligible for coverage. Examples include:
Eye injury
Burn
Head trauma
Fracture
Tendon tear
Complex sprain
Rare Cancers
Malignant neoplasms of the adrenal gland and other endocrine glands and related structures
Anus and anal canal
Bone and articular cartilage
Breast among men
Gallbladder and other parts of biliary tract
Meninges, brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, and other parts of central nervous system
Pancreas
Penis and testis
Placenta
Small intestine
Thymus
Vulva, vagina, and cervix uteri (invasive only)
Malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm, including carcinoid tumors
Myeloid neoplasms, including myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms, and myeloid malignancies associated with eosinophilia and abnormalities of growth factor receptors derived from platelets or fibroblasts
Other cancers that meet the threshold incidence rate of less than 15 cases per 100,000 persons per year based on age-adjusted 2005-2009 average annual data.
For more information on the WTC Health Program List of Covered Conditions and 9/11 Victim Compensation, please contact Pitta & Baione LLP at 844-WTC-COMP or info@pittabaione.com.

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