Cancer Made A Part Of Zadroga Act
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will add 50 types of cancer to be covered under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
Democratic New York Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health announced the change Monday. The institute said last June it favored expanding the $4.3 billion health program to include cancer.
The Act originally as approved in 2011 included a number of respiratory illnesses linked to 9/11 exposure but left cancers off the list citing scientific evidence that did not link cancer.
CANCERS TO BE COVERED
Source: NY Daily News
- Malignant neoplasms of the lip, tongue, salivary gland, floor of mouth, gum and other mouth, tonsil, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and other oral cavity and pharynx
- Malignant neoplasm of the nasopharynx
- Malignant neoplasms of the nose, nasal cavity, middle ear, and accessory sinuses
- Malignant neoplasm of the larynx
- Malignant neoplasm of the esophagus
- Malignant neoplasm of the stomach
- Malignant neoplasm of the colon and rectum
- Malignant neoplasm of the liver and intrahepatic bile duct
- Malignant neoplasms of the retroperitoneum and peritoneum, omentum, and mesentery
- Malignant neoplasms of the trachea; bronchus and lung; heart, mediastinum and pleura; and other ill-defined sites in the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs
- Mesothelioma
- Malignant neoplasms of the soft tissues (sarcomas)
- Malignant neoplasms of the skin (melanoma and nonmelanoma), including scrotal cancer
- Malignant neoplasm of the breast
- Malignant neoplasm of the ovary
- Malignant neoplasm of the urinary bladder
- Malignant neoplasm of the kidney
- Malignant neoplasms of renal pelvis, ureter and
other urinary organs
- Malignant neoplasms of the eye and orbit
- Malignant neoplasm of the thyroid
- Childhood cancers
- Rare cancers
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation AcT
Some key information about the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which went into effect a year ago to aid ground zero responders and others who became ill after being exposed to dust and ash at the World Trade Center site:
— The law is composed of two parts: the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides monitoring and treatment for ailing responders and others, and the victim's compensation fund, which covers wage and economic losses pertaining to ground zero-related illnesses.
— After much partisan wrangling, Congress approved the Zadroga Act on Dec. 22, 2010, in a last-minute compromise during the final hours of the legislative session. The bill's advocates originally sought $6.2 billion but ultimately agreed to $4.2 billion.
— New York attorney Sheila Birnbaum was appointed special master of the fund by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in May 2011. She is tasked with doling out $875 million in the first five years of the fund, with nearly $2 billion more to be released around 2016.
— The fund has only received eligibility forms from about 300 claimants, but Birnbaum ultimately expects to receive thousands of additional applications.
— About 40,000 Sept. 11 responders and survivors receive monitoring and 20,000 get treatment for their illnesses as part of the Zadroga Act's health program.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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