A major example of the continuing danger of asbestos mesothelioma cancer can be seen in the events occurring during and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. We all know of the lives lost that day from the plane crashes and fallen buildings. However, you may not realize how many other people’s lives are at risk for lung disease or lung cancer from asbestos due to the exposure from the demolished buildings.

Both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon sustained destruction and damage to the buildings, which released dust into the air containing toxins, one of those toxins being asbestos. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon were built long before the asbestos regulations were in effect.

It’s estimated that more than 100,000 individuals may have been seriously exposed to toxins such as asbestos from the 9/11 destruction of buildings. These individuals include police, firefighters, emergency medical workers, tower workers, including volunteer and paid cleanup workers, including steelworkers, insulation workers, Mason pipe fitters, machine operators, plumbers, structural engineers, boilermakers, carpenters, electricians, truckers sheet-metal workers, steamfitters and landfill workers.

In addition, about 30,000 residents that lived in lower Manhattan around the World Trade Center were exposed. Most of those, who were first responders at the World Trade Center, such as the emergency medical personnel, police and firefighters, were not wearing protective gear. They most likely inhaled a very significant amount of asbestos. Screenings have shown that around 75% of those first responders are already suffering from asbestos poisoning symptoms such as respiratory problems. Their future almost certainly will hold additional instances of mesothelioma injury.

For months following the destruction of the World Trade Center, there were massive cleanup efforts by tens of thousands of people involved in taking away debris and moving it to landfills. Some of them were wearing protective gear. Some protective gear may not have been adequate. These workers also would have been exposed to asbestos in the air and in the debris, putting them at risk for future mesothelioma injury.

Residents of the neighborhood around the trade towers, thousands of people who lived there and others who worked there, could not or chose not to leave the area after the disaster. Five days after 9/11, the EPA issued a statement that it was safe to return to the area. Unfortunately, clouds of toxic dust stayed in the area for weeks, exposing those who lived there and others who commuted to that area.