On September 11, 2001, thousands of police officers converged on Lower Manhattan to assist with rescue efforts. The environment in which officers worked for months afterward was saturated with asbestos, heavy metals, benzene, and other hazardous chemicals. Many officers received insufficient warnings about the serious long-term health risks they faced, despite visible dust covering everything.
Police officers faced particular dangers during rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations:
- Breathing in toxic dust particles through the mouth, throat, and lungs
- Contact with contaminated debris and surfaces during search operations
- Exposure to the dust cloud settling on skin and clothing
- Inhaling smoke and combustion byproducts from fires that continued for months
One large study reported approximately a 50 percent increase in cancer diagnoses among NYC police in the years following 9/11, with specific rises in malignant brain tumors, kidney cancer, thyroid cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Research shows a roughly 25 percent increased risk of prostate cancer and a doubling of thyroid cancer risk among exposed officers. Leukemia rates are also significantly elevated. Higher particulate and dust exposure at the WTC site was significantly associated with increased lung cancer incidence among responders.
Officers are at high risk of respiratory problems, including chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Mental health effects, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, are common. The NYPD has confirmed that hundreds of officers died from 9/11-related illnesses, primarily cancers linked to toxic inhalation.
Relevant job titles
- NYPD officer
- Port Authority Police
- Law enforcement responder
- Security personnel
