Rudy Giuliani’s effort to have his pneumonia treatment covered by a federal 9/11 health program is drawing renewed attention to the lingering illnesses tied to the dust and smoke that blanketed lower Manhattan after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.
The former New York City mayor, now 81, is seeking enrollment in the World Trade Center Health Program, multiple outlets reported, after being hospitalized with pneumonia and diagnosed with restrictive airway disease that his representatives say stemmed from his time at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Giuliani was widely praised for leading New York City during and after the attacks; however, his health concerns fit into a broader public health crisis tied to the toxic cloud created when the Twin Towers collapsed.
More people have now died from illnesses linked to toxic exposure after 9/11 than died during the attacks themselves, according to 2021 World Trade Center Health Program data.
The attacks killed roughly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001, while 4,343 survivors and first responders have since died from related illnesses, according to the report.
A report from The Mesothelioma Center said an estimated 410,000 first responders, cleanup crews, and survivors were exposed to air contaminated with pulverized concrete, glass, asbestos, jet fuel residue, and other toxic materials around Ground Zero.
The report said respiratory disease and cancer have caused the largest number of deaths among first responders in the years since the attacks.
The World Trade Center Health Program has also tracked tens of thousands of cases involving chronic sinus inflammation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, asthma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and cancers.
Giuliani’s representatives have argued his own illnesses are connected to that exposure.
“I’m representing him to get him into the World Trade Center Health Program so he can enjoy the same benefits of healthcare at no cost to people who have been certified with 9/11 illnesses,” Giuliani lawyer Michael Barasch told The New York Times.
Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said Giuliani developed restrictive airway disease because he “ran toward the towers to help those in need.”
Medical professionals interviewed by The New York Times said Giuliani’s condition could plausibly be linked to the toxic air surrounding Ground Zero. Dr. Jacqueline Moline, who has treated patients with 9/11-related illnesses since 2001, stated that “His exposures at 9/11 certainly could have contributed to his pulmonary condition.”
Giuliani has publicly discussed possible health problems connected to the attacks for years. In a 2002 interview with Charlie Rose, Giuliani said that just two days after the attacks, he believed he was suffering a heart attack while responding to the disaster. He said he went for a walk in Stuyvesant Town, a neighborhood near the attack site, and he prayed to God, saying, “God, I can’t have a heart attack now… If you want to give me a heart attack, it’s going to [have to] happen later.”
He then said the pain in his arm had stopped and that he was able to continue working around Ground Zero.
Health concerns tied to the attacks were not limited to firefighters, police officers, and emergency crews.
Disco singer Donna Summer believed her own rare lung cancer may have been connected to toxic exposure from the attacks, according to reporting by TMZ. Summer had been living near Ground Zero on September 11 and reportedly became deeply concerned about dust and airborne contaminants in the years afterward. She subsequently died from her condition in 2012.
Researchers and health officials have spent years studying the long-term effects of the exposure. The Mesothelioma Center report said the toxic plume from the collapse contained soot, burning jet fuel, asbestos, and pulverized building materials that continued smoldering for months after the attacks.
Studies cited in the report found elevated rates of asthma, cardiovascular disease, leukemia, and thyroid cancer among people exposed to the debris cloud. One study said firefighters who arrived at Ground Zero on the morning of September 11 had a 44% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who arrived later.
Mental health consequences have also persisted for decades. According to the Center’s report, nearly 19,000 members of the World Trade Center Health Program have been diagnosed with mental health conditions, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders.
Congress eventually approved federal legislation creating the World Trade Center Health Program through the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010, nearly a decade after the attacks. In 2019, lawmakers permanently extended funding for the compensation program through 2092 after years of lobbying by first responders and advocates.
