57,000 Cancer Cases Linked to 9/11 Exposure

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 lasted only hours, but a quarter-century later, the disaster is far from over for tens of thousands of people.

New data from the World Trade Center Health Program reveals 57,044 cancer cases now confirmed as linked to exposure to the attack and the toxic materials that spread across the area.

According to the figures, 28,913 cases are among survivors, residents, workers, and students who were in the area, compared to 28,131 cases among rescue workers, emergency responders, and cleanup and recovery personnel. For the first time, the number of cancer cases among survivors has surpassed those among first responders.

The data takes on added significance against the backdrop of a recent Washington Post investigation showing that the number of 9/11 survivors receiving cancer treatment assistance nearly tripled within five years. In June 2021, 8,870 survivors received cancer treatment support, compared to approximately 27,300 in 2026.

The South Tower of the World Trade Center shortly after impact (Photo: Robert J. Fisch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

Behind the numbers lies the extraordinary exposure faced by those in the area after the Twin Towers collapsed. The clouds of dust and smoke contained asbestos, benzene, and other carcinogenic materials released from the burning rubble. The fires and smoke in the area continued long after the towers fell, and the dust penetrated homes and workplaces throughout lower Manhattan.

The death toll from exposure-related illnesses continues to climb as well. According to program data released ahead of the 25th anniversary, more than 9,400 people have already died from 9/11-related diseases, including 5,892 who died from cancer. That number is already more than three times the death toll from the attacks themselves.

Doctors warn that the figures may still not reflect the full scope of the phenomenon. The reason is that some diseases develop many years after exposure, and not everyone exposed to the dust and toxic materials has joined the health program. Experts note that certain types of cancer may develop 20, 30, or even 40 years after exposure.

The picture among New York firefighters is equally grim. A health report published by the city and fire department ahead of the 25th anniversary found that more than 10,000 firefighters are now recognized as suffering from a 9/11-related health condition, with approximately 4,257 holding cancer-related recognition.

A quarter-century after that morning when the Twin Towers fell, the numbers illustrate that for many of the survivors, firefighters, police officers, workers, and residents exposed to the cloud of dust and smoke, September 11 was not an event that ended when the fires were extinguished. For them, the health price continues to be exacted 25 years later.

Perhaps there is no more chilling way to describe the ongoing cost of 9/11 than the words of Richie Alles, a former deputy chief in the New York Fire Department who was at the disaster site and lost many of his colleagues to illnesses linked to Ground Zero exposure. After he too was diagnosed with cancer, he captured the harsh reality in a single sentence: "It's not a question of if you'll get sick, but when you'll get sick."