World Trade Center 9/11 Health Czar Announces Plan

After numerous deaths were linked to the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, Senator Hillary Clinton appointed Dr. John Howard, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, as 9/11 Health Coordinator. His position was newly created in the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and monitor the health impacts caused by the 9/11 World Trade Center attack.

Deaths Linked to 9/11 WTC Toxic Dust

Appointment of Dr. Howard comes just two weeks after the death of Detective James Zadroga was declared a direct result of the toxic dust he breathed during rescue 9/11 attempts. Two other deaths caused by the inhalation of the 9/11 World Trade Center toxic dust were also noted: Emergency Medical Technicians, Timothy Keller, 41, and Felix Hernandez, 31, who died in June 2005 and October 2005, respectively.

WTC 9/11 Health Plan

On April 28, 2006, Dr. Howard met with members of 40 groups, including labor unions, lower Manhattan residents, firefighters and emergency workers, and other first responders to discuss his priorities in his newly appointed position.

During his visit, Dr. Howard promised that "he will work to ensure that $75 million earmarked for current health programs that monitor September 11 health effects is distributed by September." The money will be used to pay for the treatment of rescuers and workers who helped at Ground Zero and at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. In addition, the money will also help the New York City Fire Department's medical treatment program, the New York City Police Department's mental health program and the World Trade Center Health Registry.

WTC 9/11 Health Coordinator's Responsibilities

Dr. Howard's responsibilities will be the following:

Coordinate federal programs for monitoring the health of emergency first responders, volunteers and residents related to the 9/11 World Trade Center attack

Ensure proper scientific reporting of the 9/11 WTC health monitoring

Identify everyone who may have been exposed to the toxic dust during and after the 9/11 World Trade Center attack

Dr. Howard also plans to devise and distribute medical protocols nationwide to doctors to better facilitate the monitoring of persons affected by 9/11. This will help to include people affected by the 9/11 WTC dust who may have moved from New York since the attack.

Dr. Howard stated:

"Sometimes it takes us in science years in terms of making absolutely definitive connections of a causal nature between exposure and health effect. Common sense would say, gee, we have a lot of people here in New York who were entirely healthy before 9/11 and now they're not, and that's common sense type of science, if you will."

WTC Health Registry

The Department of Health and Human Services is currently devising a centralized database, called the World Trace Center Health Registry, to track everyone whose health has been affected by the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. The WTC Health Registry will track the health of those registered over the next 20 years. Senator Clinton urges people who lived or worked near the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attack to register to have their health monitored.

Who's Eligible for WTC Health Registry?

People eligible to enroll in the WTC Health Registry are:

People who were in a building, on the street, or on the subway south of Chambers Street on 9/11/01

People involved in rescue, recovery, clean up, or other activities at the WTC site and/or WTC Recovery Operations on Staten Island any time between 9/11/01 and 6/30/02

Students and staff enrolled in schools (pre K-12) or day care centers south of Canal Street on 9/11/01

People who were living south of Canal Street on 9/11/01

_{Sources: ny1.com; newsday.com; wnyc.org; nytimes.com; nyc.gov}