Mount Sinai doctors knew 9/11s health toll would last decades. Theyre still seeing it 25 years later

The dust may have settled at Ground Zero, but for thousands of 9/11 responders, the health fallout is still unfolding.As the 25th anniversary of September 11 approaches, survivors and responders continue to grapple with the long-term effects of their exposure, including upper and lower respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal problems, musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions and various types of cancers.For 16 years, Mount Sinai has been at the center of New York’s medical response through its World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence.The program provides medical monitoring, treatment, mental health services and benefits counseling at no out-of-pocket costs to tens of thousands of 9/11 responders, including law enforcement officers, emergency medical workers, construction and ironworkers and asbestos handlers.Dr.Michael Crane, a professor and deputy director of the WTC program, pointed to the institution’s longstanding work in occupational health, dating back to Dr.

Irving Selikoff, a pioneer in asbestos epidemiology and worker safety who began his research and clinical involvement in asbestos exposure in the 1950s at Mount Sinai.“These folks dove in head first into this work, doing the same type of protection and evaluation,” Crane said, reflecting on his colleagues who responded after 9/11.“They realized pretty much immediately, this is going to be a very long term issue and with thousands of people.What began as an urgent response to an unprecedented disaster has evolved into a model of long-term care built on a commitment to understanding the health consequences of an exposure that doctors knew from the start could take decades to emerge.“We all know that smell and the dust was here for months,” said William Corrar, a retired FDNY captain and WTC program patient.

“I knew it wasn’t good for me.” He was particularly worried about the young firefighters and police officers at the scene, many of them in their ea...