Physical Scars of 9/11
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Marc Katz is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. He is graduate of Tufts University. |
This week, the nation is commemorating the victims and heroes of 9/11. Unfortunately, for the rescue workers at ground zero, chronic asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer serve as a constant reminder of the day. Forbes magazine recently published an article citing that after 9/11, 69% of workers developed “worsened respiratory symptoms” and 59% have lasting symptoms that still plague them today.
Sadly, these workers are not getting their fair share of compensation. Thousands of workers, who came to New York vibrant and healthy, are now in need of lifelong care. To battle this, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that he would provide $75 million for worker health care. Sadly, this number will not cover the necessary costs of chronic care. To put it into perspective, Grist Magazine cited that Leavitt’s full proposal amounts to less than half of what the U.S. spends in a single day in Iraq.
Instead of admitting their faults and working to help those affected by 9/11, politicians are pointing fingers. Christie Todd Whitman, the head of the EPA at the time, is blaming local authorities for not providing the appropriate gear to workers, while local authorities blame Whitman for claiming that the air was safe. Because no one will claim culpability, no one is willing to bear the burden of treating these people. Regardless who is at fault or why this happened, we need to demand that a third question be asked: How can we as Americans and Jews help to rectify this situation?