"Health fears for victims of Ground Zero's deadly dust "

[freefall]

The Guardian seems to do a fairly good job of covering stories that our MSM would rather ignore. This is horribly sad.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1706622,00.html

"Health fears for victims of Ground Zero's deadly dust
World Trade Centre rescue workers demand action over effects of toxic cloud
Robin Shulman in New York
Friday February 10, 2006

snip

Timothy Keller, an emergency medical technician, died in June of heart disease complicated by bronchitis and emphysema. Another emergency worker, Felix Hernandez, died in October of respiratory ailments. And at the beginning of January a police detective, James Zadroga, died of what his family reported as black lung disease, with high levels of mercury in his blood and powdered glass in his body.

snip

In the days that followed September 11, many of the estimated 50,000 workers at the site went without masks or wore flimsy ones, and used little other protective gear. A further 50,000 residents of lower Manhattan, along with 400,000 people working within a mile of the site, were also unprotected from billowing toxins rising from the rubble.

snip

A week after September 11 Mr Dahl, who had prided himself on jogging eight miles a day, began to cough up grey mucus. He would often wake in the night wheezing, unable to breathe. In January 2002 he had his first full-blown asthma attack. He has since developed an extremely rare form of cancer, synovial sarcoma, in his throat.

He said the workers' compensation board had so far denied him benefits, suggesting his pulmonary problems could result from his cancer, or from a recent car accident, not necessarily from exposure to the World Trade Centre ruins. He plans to submit that his rare cancer itself resulted from 9/11."

And the saddest part, the part that angers me the most is that these people are having to fight to get help and compensation. That's disgusting and reinforces all the negatives about the US. We send troops to battle without proper equipment and supplies and then don't provide enough resources to help them when they come back injured and ill. We allow thousands to die in the aftermath of Katrina when there was ample time to prevent the deaths. And we treat ground zero heroes like criminals when they have the temerity to get sick as a result of their bravery.

[DODI]

1. I am afraid for my cousin. He was helping with the lighting

at Ground Zero. That horrid "Hollywood" community had people on sight taking care of the intense lighting that was needed during the recovery and rescue work. He was there for the first month as a gaffer. I don't like to ask him about it.

[freefall]

2. My cousin was there too. He went with a contingent of firemen from Oregon.

He was there for two weeks. I am praying that he is OK. I don't want to ask him about it either. I will pray for both our cousins.

[DODI]

3. I will join you. Thank you.

[Ecumenist]

4. I too, will pray for you family members...

I lost four very dear loved ones on that day and I know many more who are now suffering from the effects "harmless and innocuous dust" that was everywhere for months.

[KT2000]

5. The saddest part

is that the exact thing would happen again today.

What has happened to ground Zero workers is what happens for most people who have been damaged by environmental exposures - workers, soldiers, chldren, families. Corporate america has decided that any recognition of environmental damage will open the floodgates to liability claims. Hence, the injuries are not recognized and the people are pushed out.

Doctors who advocate for the patients and validate their patient's comp claims will find themselves in a heap of trouble. Doctors who will testify against claimants are paid big money, given awards and remain "protected" by the system.

just another one of america's nasty little secrets