When the alerts came on September 11, 2001, I first made sure my kids were safe and then headed to home base, which for me was that concrete lifesaver – Bellevue Hospital.I helped empty the hospital where I had trained, triaging patients to other facilities in preparation for World Trade Center survivors.
Then we waited for hours for survivors who never came.A few days later I visited the disaster site, and when I arrived, I was handed an N95 mask.I made my way through the rubble, very aware that I was in the presence of potentially toxic chemicals and fumes.
It was a bright, sunny day, but there was still a film in the air.With all due respect to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is claiming the public was lied to and has released 170,000 documents related to the attacks to supposedly verify a coverup, I have a simple response.MAMDANI DROPS MASSIVE 9/11 RECORDS TROVE AS OLD CLAIMS ABOUT GROUND ZERO COME UNDER FIREWe knew.We knew there were potentially serious health risks.Firefighter Gerard McGibbon, of Engine 283 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, prays after the World Trade Center buildings collapsed September 11, 2001 after two hijacked airplanes slammed into the twin towers in a terrorist attack that killed 2,977 people. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)We knew the molten debris and toxins were a problem.We knew that there would be health risks and consequences from the terror attacks for generations to come, not only for first responders—heroes who put their lives on the line to try to save the few people they could—but also for survivors and the people who lived in the surrounding New York City neighborhoods.REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: 9/11 IS JUST A HISTORY CHAPTER FOR A NEW GENERATION OF AMERICANSOver the years, I have treated many patients with health consequences from direct exposure, from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to asthma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and cancer.
Many have come to me who simply lived in the neighborhood and were right...