Attorneys Troy Rosasco and Daniel J. Hansen Praise NIOSH's Decision

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep. 10, 2012 - Troy Rosasco, Partner, Turley, Redmond, Rosasco & Rosasco, LLP, and Daniel J Hansen, Partner, Turley, Hansen & Partners, said the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is expected to include more cancers to be covered under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 and that will enable more first responders and residents near the Ground Zero area to obtain healthcare and collect their fair share of the $2.775 billion 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).

NIOSH is expected to announce on September 10th that the dust and airborne toxins contributed to respiratory-related illnesses and cancers. This means that those who were diagnosed with certain cancers — but were not eligible to date under the Zadroga Act — may be eligible for both medical care and compensation under the Zadroga 9/11 Act. When Sheila Birnbaum, Special Master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, reopened the fund on October 3, 2011 to first responders and survivors who worked in the Ground Zero area between September 11, 2011 and May 30, 2002, she specified that only those illnesses accepted by NIOSH would be accepted by the VCF for compensation claims.

Three Congressional members from New York — Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler and Peter King —had urged NIOSH to include cancer on the list of diseases to be covered under the VCF based on a study performed by the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet which links exposure to toxins at the Ground Zero site to cancer.

“We are finally near the end of our long struggle to include cancer victims under the Zadroga Act,” Mr. Rosasco said. The medical benefits cannot come too soon for many victims, but they are unfortunately too late for others. Our next challenge is to continue the fight in the halls of Congress to extend the Zadroga Act past 2016 for the many first responders who will inevitably be diagnosed with 9/11 related cancers over the next 10-20 years”.

“This decision by NIOSH to cover these cancers is a great victory for the 9/11 community,” Mr. Hansen said. “Now those who worked at the Ground Zero site or lived near there and have eligible cancers can expect to receive just compensation in the future. We urge those who have not filed for VCF compensation yet to start the application process immediately.”