9/11 Asbestos

The trauma of 9/11 is not solely psychological. 

When the Twin Towers came crashing down, hundreds of tons of asbestos-based materials were set aflame, pulverized, and aerosolized. Fires in 7 World Trade Center continued to burn through 2002, darkening Lower Manhattan months after the attacks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that, in total, some 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants. 

Since most asbestos-related conditions have latency periods best measured in years and decades, the scope and scale of illness has yet to emerge.

Asbestos in the Twin Towers

Many tons of asbestos were built into the World Trade Center.

Construction on the Twin Towers began in 1966, with the World Trade Centers receiving their first tenets in the early 1970s.

At the time, the domestic asbestos industry was still experiencing marked, near-unprecedented growth. A type of naturally occurring mineral, asbestos was widely used as an insulator and a flame retardant. Each year, mines across the country produced over 299 million pounds of asbestos fiber.  

Perhaps not surprisingly, some of this asbestos found its way to New York City, where it was used in the construction of the Twin Towers.

According to some reports, asbestos was sprayed onto steel beams throughout the World Trade Centers. In the North Tower, for instance, spray-on asbestos insulation was used to coat beams all the way up to the 40th floor. 

Asbestos may have been used in other products, too, including in individual offices and the World Trade Centers’ famous elevator systems. 

However, most contemporary reports attribute persistent asbestos-related concerns to the towers’ steel skeletons.

The Collapse of the Twin Towers and an Invisible Health Crisis

The destruction of the Twin Towers released such large quantities of toxins into the environment that many first responders reported respiratory symptoms mere days after the attacks. 

For many first responders, their respiratory symptoms never disappeared. 

Instead, they developed into what researchers have since termed “WTC Cough Syndrome,” a condition characterized by the following: 

• Chronic rhinosinusitis 

• Asthma 

• Bronchitis 

As early as 2007, some former firefighters observed their persistent cough evolving into more insidious illnesses, including incurable conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

Unfortunately, “WTC Cough Syndrome” and COPD may forewarn the emergence of more critical conditions.

Asbestos, for instance, is a well-known human carcinogen. While asbestos’s adverse health effects were largely overlooked in the late 1960s and early 1970s, we know today that asbestos exposure is associated with a wide range of serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses.

Asbestos-related diseases include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Asbestosis, a chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. 

• Pleural disease, which affects the pleural lining of the lungs and chest cavity. Some pleural conditions, like pleural effusions, can cause irreversible lung damage. 

• Cancer, including cancers of the lung, ovaries and larynx. 

• Mesothelioma, an unusually aggressive cancer with a low 5-year survival rate. 

Since most asbestos-related diseases have long latency periods, many 9/11 first responders and survivors do not have any way of knowing whether their bodies are harboring dangerous concentrations of asbestos fiber.

September 11th and Asbestos Abatement 

The fall of the Twin Towers released massive amounts of aerosolized asbestos fiber—asbestos fiber that was inhaled by many first responders, and which has likely already formed the foundation of an eventual health crisis. 

If not for the attacks, however, the World Trade Centers could have been largely asbestos-free. 

During the 1980s, when the Environmental Protection Agency began restricting authorized uses of asbestos, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began removing potentially hazardous asbestos-containing materials from the Twin Towers. 

Information about asbestos abatement efforts in the World Trade Center is limited, but removal is believed to have cost close to $1 billion.

Understanding the Importance of Asbestos Abatement

While the Port Authority was unable to remove every trace of asbestos from the Twin Towers, abatement—even when limited—is often a matter of practical necessity. 

Even today, many private property owners must consider abatement if any of the following circumstances exist: 

You Have Suspected Asbestos Products on Your Premises 

Scientists believe that no amount of asbestos exposure is safe. If you believe that you might have asbestos in your home, you may need to contact a local heath agency or for-profit laboratory to test for suspected asbestos. 

If a sample is confirmed to be asbestos, you may need to consider abatement, depending on the location of the asbestos-containing materials and the extent of the contamination. 

Asbestos is highly resistant to heat, pressure and corrosion, so it was used in many products, vehicles and buildings. In particular, many workplaces like factories, refineries, foundries and shipyards involve high amounts of heat, and were built with a lot of asbestos.

You Have Friable Asbestos in a Publicly-Accessible Space 

Asbestos-containing materials are not inherently dangerous. However, asbestos products pose a significant risk if and when they begin to deteriorate.  

Asbestos that has crumbled, or is friable, could become aerosolized and disperse into the environment. Aerosolized asbestos fibers are microscopic, and they can easily be inhaled. 

Once inside the respiratory system, asbestos is all but impossible to eradicate. Over time, trapped fibers can cause scarring, inflammation, and the abnormal cellular changes characteristic of cancer.

Do You Qualify For Compensation?

Quickly and easily find out how you were exposed by searching W.A.R.D., the largest asbestos database on the planet.

You Are Planning to Sell Your Home in the Foreseeable Future

Every state enacts and enforces its own laws regulating homeowners’ liability. 

In many states, a homeowner could be found liable for asbestos-related injuries—including a cancer diagnosis—if they knew that their property contained asbestos but failed to either inform the purchaser or make a good-faith effort to remove the suspected asbestos.

AsbestosClaims.Law

At AsbestosClaims.Law, our mission to secure compensation for asbestos victims is more than professional; it’s personal.

Our founder, Justinian C. Lane, understands the devastating impacts of asbestos firsthand.

Both his grandparents and father, all asbestos workers, passed away from asbestos-induced cancers without realizing their eligibility for asbestos lawsuits or other forms of compensation.

We aim to prevent such tragic oversights by informing and guiding victims and their families through their legal options. 

If you or your loved ones have suffered as a result of asbestos exposure, you could be eligible for considerable compensation. These funds could provide for medical treatments, asbestos removal services, and safeguard your health. 

In addition, asbestos trusts offer compensation without the need for a lawsuit, providing a quicker, simpler path to justice.

Reach out to us at [email protected] or (206) 455-9190 for assistance with your claim. We offer compassionate listening, clear explanations, and we don’t charge a dime unless we win your case.

Beyond legal claims, we also advise on veterans’ disability, social security, and employment protection like workers’ compensation, FELA, and The Jones Act for maritime workers. 

There’s no risk or cost to connect with our experienced team about your rights. Our commitment to your well-being means no fees unless you receive compensation.

We’ve also introduced W.A.R.D., the Worldwide Asbestos Research Database. It’s the most comprehensive resource for asbestos-related information.

W.A.R.D. assists in pinpointing potential exposure scenarios, asbestos-containing products, and can indicate the types and potential amounts of compensation you may be entitled to receive.
Don’t delay — get in touch with us today!

1 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.
2 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.