September 05, 2018
At least 15 men who were near Ground Zero during the 9/11 terrorist attacks are now diagnosed with breast cancer, a significant amount considering men account for just one percent of the country's population with breast cancer.
Among the men with breast cancer include five 9/11 responders, two city firefighters, an NYPD Sergeant, an ironworker, and a highway repairmen. Others diagnosed with breast cancer include workers in business near Ground Zero and a student who was downtown at the time of the attack, the New York Post reported.
Lawyer Michael Barasch, of the Barasch McGarry law firm that handles many 9/11 health cases, described it to the Post as "cancer on steroids." Many of the people diagnosed have no history of breast cancer in their families.
The rate of men with breast cancer is just a small fraction of cancer cases among survivors of the 9/11 attacks.
A reported 420 responders have died from various types of cancer since 2001, and almost 10,000 people have been diagnosed with cancer related to toxic smoke and dust caused in the destruction of World Trade Center towers. Earlier this year Ronald Spadafora, a New York Fire Department chief who led recovery efforts after 9/11, died of cancer caused by his exposure to toxins in the area.
Next week marks the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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