A study will be conducted in the US on the health of children who lived through the September 11 terrorist attacks
A study will be conducted in the US on the health of children who lived through the September 11 terrorist attacks
On September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center towers collapsed in New York City, USA, nearly 25,000 children lived or studied in the surrounding areas. Some of them were infants or toddlers, while others were still in their mothers' wombs. Now, the United States government wants to study their health.
Although the children inhaled a cloud of toxic substances such as dust, concrete particles, glass shards, and asbestos, they were hardly included in government-funded health studies. Such programs were mainly focused on rescuers and adults.
As a result, it was not possible to monitor cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and reproductive issues. At a time when those children have reached between 30 and 40 years of age today, these diseases may manifest themselves.
To fill this gap, the US Congress announced in 2022 that it would fund a special study. In August 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it would accept applications from researchers for this project.
The study will involve people who were under the age of 21 or not yet born at the time of the tragedy and lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn. For comparison, people of the same age who were not exposed to toxic substances will also be involved.
According to Dr. Joan Reibman, dozens of types of cancer caused by this tragedy have been identified in adults. However, clear and complete data on the impact on children is still lacking.
Experts say that finding those children today and studying them will not be easy. This is because they have scattered across the country. Nevertheless, this study will help understand ways to protect children in areas of wars or other tragedies in the future.
It was revealed that the public was given false information after the September 11 terrorist attacks
The New York administration began releasing documents about air quality after the September 11 terrorist attacks. They show that hazardous substances were present in the air, but at the time, the public was told that the air quality was safe.
Even months after the terrorist attacks, asbestos and other hazardous substances were detected in the air in Lower Manhattan. In July 2002, ten months after the attacks, experts also found traces of asbestos in the John Street building, less than 1.5 kilometers from the Twin Towers. They were detected on the building's facade, roof, and other parts of Lower Manhattan.
In some samples, the amount of asbestos exceeded the permitted limits. The documents also note that high concentrations of benzene, which can cause cancer, were observed near the area where the towers were destroyed.