Rare Cancer Found In Younger 9/11 Rescue Workers

Aug. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- (New York, NY)—A deadly form of cancer has been detected in the younger first responders who braved the horrific conditions during and after the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and cleanup.
Multiple myeloma is a rare blood cancer that was brought about as a result of heavy exposure to the toxic dusts and wastes at Ground Zero, according to a new study published by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

“Government officials misled these heroic rescue workers and the American people when they assured them that the air was safe to breathe,” says Steven M. Centore, author of One of Them: A First Responder’s Story. “But the facts are that the 9/11 responders who worked and performed rescue missions were immersed in a lethal cloud of poisons and as a result they are now facing major health problems.”

Recent reports from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine indicate that an "unusual" number of first responders are developing this type of cancer under age forty-five. Generally affecting elderly people, multiple myeloma is seen in only four cases per 100,000 for all ages.

Some medical experts worry that these cancers may be only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to medical problems facing the thousands of men and women who performed rescue and cleanup missions at the World Trade Center site.

Many cancers are caused by and linked to exposure to certain chemicals and carcinogens, all of which were found in the air and debris at Ground Zero. As America nears the eighth anniversary of the World Trade Center attack, medical experts point out that it often takes up to ten years for someone to develop environmentally induced cancer. Obviously, those workers are nearing that tipping point now.

Mr. Centore, a 9/11 first responder, a federal employee and a Navy veteran, details his own battles with medical insurance companies and the federal government in his book—battles that have made his many 9/11-related health problems all the more painful to deal with.

“Many responders and their families and friends feel betrayed by Congress and are appalled by the callous indifference, lack of support and meager financial resources provided by the US government,” says Mr. Centore, who has also appeared at congressional hearings to fight for the rights of thousands of first responders. “American leaders must provide better medical care and a monitoring system for those heroes who stepped up when the nation needed them.”

To learn more about how you can help, or to buy the nationally acclaimed book One of Them: A First Responder’s Story, visit www.SteveCentore.com or www.wadv-oneofthem.com. The book is also available on Borders.com, Target.com, Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

For more information about One of Them: A First Responder’s Story, contact Steven M. Centore directly at Scentore@yahoo.com.

WORLDWIDE ASSOCIATION OF DISABLED VETERANS, INC. and author Steven M. Centore chose Arbor Books, Inc. (www.ArborBooks.com) to design and promote One of Them: A First Responder’s Story. Arbor Books is an internationally renowned, full-service book design, ghostwriting and marketing firm.  

(One of Them: A First Responder’s Story by Steven M. Centore; ISBN: 0-9801274-0-8; $16.95; 208 pages; 5½”x 8½”; softcover; Worldwide Association of Disabled Veterans, Inc.)

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