toxic air

More than 18 years after September 11, 2001, the number of victims and the range of afflictions linked to the World Trade Center attacks grow. Asbestos, chemicals from building materials, smoke and other potentially dangerous substances were ejected from Ground Zero for months following the fall of the Twin Towers. As a result, people who […]

Though she wasn’t a firefighter, police officer or EMT, Marya Columbia described herself as a “responder” when applying for the World Trade Center Health Program. She qualified for benefits as a survivor because her Lower Manhattan apartment was in the designated exposure zone. However, that classification does not begin to describe Ms. Columbia’s contribution to […]

On July 8, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bipartisan bill extending the work of a task force designed to provide assistance to 9/11 first responders. The bill was sponsored by two Brooklyn lawmakers and extends the efforts of the Worker Protection Task Force Act for five more years. Through the extension, the task […]