The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program recently extended its coverage to include rescue, recovery, and clean-up workers who served at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 during and after the terrorist attacks. The Program provides free medical screenings and treatment for health issues (including mesothelioma) related to exposures from the September 11th attacks.
The Pentagon was originally built in 1942 with asbestos-containing materials. In 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a “greening” of the building, which included the removal of hazardous debris and materials – asbestos included. The renovations were changed to a “monumental rebuilding” of the Pentagon following the 2001 attacks.
Due in part to the direct advocacy of the Meso Foundation and community, mesothelioma became a disease eligible for coverage under the WTC Health Program in 2012. Last year, the Foundation presented the Bruce Vento Hope Builder awards to the Senators of New York and the Congressional Representatives of New York City who worked together to ensure mesothelioma and other cancers were made eligible for coverage.
More information about the history of the WTC Health Program and the involvement of the Meso Foundation, can be found in the blog post September 11 and Mesothelioma: Working to Protect those Exposed to Asbestos from Cancer and Mesothelioma.
More information about the awards presented to the New York Members of Congress can be found in the blog post Senator Chuck Schumer Thanks the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation for its Work.
