EMERGENCY RESPONSE​​ ​

NIOSH’s World Trade Center Health Program Treats 9/11 Responders, Survivors

Many workers and residents who were present in the area affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are still developing illnesses related to their exposures and have not yet enrolled in the NIOSH-administered World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, according to the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH). The WTC Health Program provides no-cost healthcare for responders, area residents, and workers who were exposed to WTC-derived contaminants during and after 9/11. While an estimated 400,000 people were exposed to health hazards in the aftermath of the WTC towers collapse, the number of enrollees in the health program does not reflect the estimated number of responders and survivors, according to NYCOSH, one of several organizations federally contracted by NIOSH to conduct outreach on the WTC Health Program. Workers who participated in rescue, recovery, clean-up, restoration, and support services as well as those who were present, lived, worked, or went to school in the area are still eligible for medical screening and treatment under the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which established the WTC Health Program. The WTC Health Program provides physical and mental health services to treat WTC-related health conditions in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the U.S. Physicians affiliated with the program provide specialized h​ealthcare for 9/11 responders and survivors across the nation. More information, including a full list of WTC-related health conditions, is available on the program website. Individuals with questions can e-mail the WTC Health Program or call (888) 982-4748, or connect with NYCOSH’s hotline on the program at (855) 498-2243.

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