Posted on 01/10/2006 4:15:46 PM PST by presidio9
A retired, 34-year-old New York City police detective who spent hundreds of hours searching for Sept. 11 victims at ground zero has died of a respiratory disease related to the cleanup, union officials said.
James Zadroga is believed to be the first emergency responder to die as a result of exposure to World Trade Center dust and debris, said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association.
“Unfortunately, I do not think he is going to be the last,” Palladino said Saturday.
Zadroga died Thursday at his home in Little Egg Harbor, N.J., officials said. Results of an autopsy were pending.
Zadroga had developed black lung disease and mercury on the brain as a result of working at ground zero, Palladino said. Palladino said Zadroga had worked up to 16 hours a day in rescue and recovery efforts the first month after the Sept. 11, 2001, collapse of the trade center towers.
He developed shortness of breath and other respiratory problems in the months after the attacks, and retired on disability in 2004.
A majority of residents and ground zero workers tracked by several different registries monitoring the participants’ health have reported worsening
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Sad. The events of 9/11 keep killing.
Sad to say that there are bound to be many more. But the union involvement is still worrisome. I worked in the WTC, and then a block away. The circumstances involving the cleanup were beyond the city's control. If the union helps these guys sue, it definitely cheapens their heroic legacy. The city was not at fault here, OBL was.
In the meantime, at least half the country has all but forgotten what happened that day.
"Results of an autopsy were pending. "
I'm not minimizing this poor guy's death, but how does the union know the precise cause of death before the autopsy was done?
Just wondering.
Sorry, forgot to add that I was not aware than any of the 9/11 WTC rescuers had developed mercury poisoning. This is news to me. I know about the respiratory problems, the chronic coughs, the asthma and other respiratory diseases that have reportedly shown up in rescuers.
Just curious.
I recall Giuliani wanting to cut back on the hours rescuers were putting in, but many of them protested Giuliani's decision.
God bless him and his family. May the Lord welcome this fine young man Home.
I was in the neighborhood at the time. The smell was just poisonous. After I moved back into my apartment, I kept the windows closed and bought an air purifier. The building installed HEPA filters in the ventilation system. The water trucks went by every day, sprinkling the streets. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to be down there.
I couldn't help noticing that some of the cleanup workers down there wore masks, and others didn't. I can't imagine how anyone could have worked outdoors in the area for the first month or two without a mask.
My mom bought me a mask, but I couldn't bring myself to wear it.
"I couldn't help noticing that some of the cleanup workers down there wore masks, and others didn't"
My co-worker (and good friend) and I wore half-face masks immediately while we were working there. Others looked at us like we were weird. We are environmental scientists, we understood what was in the air above and below ground. It wasn't until January of 2002 that the orders came down that everyone on-site needed to use respiratory protection and have a fit test. I remember looking at the pathetic memo and thinking.... at this time (1/2002) most of the airborne risk is gone, the fires were almost out. It was a CYA operation.
No one but OBL, Clinton, and the airlines can be blamed for this incident. Everyone that went down to the site was willing and eager to try and help, however futile it became. There were no survivors.
Your personal safety is in your own hands. I have no symptoms from WTC dust/air despite the amount of time I spent there. You have to protect youself, not wait for a memo telling you to do so.
NEVER FORGET 9/11/01!!!!!
Hey Ossama Bin Laden, we will get you, mark my words you SOB.
Because they are going to ask for millions of dollars for study, health care and extras for any and everyone that was in New York for the clean up. Whether they actually get sick is not important, only the $$$$ is!
They complained the masks were uncomfortable and I'm sure they were.
If I am not mistaken the fires burned for at least one month after the eleventh.
Waiting for the klinton's to answer for 9/11.
But were we made to live more than, say, 2.5 decades living that way? Lead is an element, U-235 is an isotope. A rose is a rose is a rose. So what?
"Because they are going to ask for millions of dollars for study, health care and extras for any and everyone that was in New York for the clean up."
I thought they (hitlery) already asked and was granted a whole lot of healthcare benefits for those involved in the recovery effort. You are right, it's all about money and how much they can extract from the taxpayers in the end.
Yes, we were made to breath dirt and dust and common bacteria, but not necessarily all kinds of burned plastics and synthetics. There were tons of incinerated computers, synthetic fibers, plastics, batteries, floppy disks, plastic desks, nylon rugs, asbestos, probably all sorts of trace heavy elements in that dust. It had a smell unlike anything I've run into before.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.