Nearly 5,900 9/11-related cancer deaths and over 57,000 diagnoses reported
Data show that 5,892 first responders and nearby residents have died from cancers linked to 9/11 toxins, while 57,044 cases have been documented.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, 5,892 first responders and people who lived or worked near Ground Zero have died from cancers caused by the toxic dust cloud, a toll that exceeds the original death count from the attacks. CDC data list 57,044 cancer cases, led by non-melanoma skin cancer (18,380 cases), followed by prostate, female breast, melanoma and lymphoma. Program analysis shows members are over 100 times more likely to develop thyroid, melanoma, prostate and breast cancers than the broader public.
Experts warn the true numbers may be higher because many exposed individuals never enrolled in the health program, which has about 90,000 first responders and 60,000 civilians registered. In addition to cancer, 3,679 participants suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, though non-cancer deaths are not publicly tallied.
Why it matters
The findings highlight a massive, ongoing health crisis for 9/11 survivors that far exceeds the original attack's death toll.
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