Statement by Public Advocate de Blasio on CDC Recommendation to Include Cancer in List of Ground Zero Diseases

“The World Trade Center Health Program Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee made the right decision when it voted today to include cancer in the list of diseases caused by the toxins found at Ground Zero. This is a necessary first step towards getting 9/11 First Responders suffering from cancer, or those who may be diagnosed in the future, the medical care and support they need and deserve. Nevertheless, we are not yet at the finish line and we must remain vigilant. The Committee still needs to make a final determination on which cancers should be covered and the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program must accept this recommendation for this to be finalized.

Common sense demanded the Committee rule in the First Responders’ favor, but the science proving a link to cancer is still in its infancy. Mayor Bloomberg is not off the hook for turning over the City’s critical health data about New York City police officers to Mount Sinai. There is a real fear that the cancer and other diseases First Responders are being diagnosed with are only the beginning. We cannot let today’s progress be used as another excuse by this Administration to withhold basic data. Every shred of information in this medical puzzle is critical for the future health of each man and woman who selflessly answered the call of duty on 9/11 and in its aftermath, never once pausing to think about the long-term health implications.”