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Piscataway, N.J. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today toured the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) to tout the framework of new legislation in Washington that will allow for the expansion of the program in Piscataway and will provide critical medical treatment to those suffering from World Trade Center related diseases.
Today's tour comes two weeks after the New Jersey congressman, who serves as the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, held a hearing on H.R. 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
The legislation would establish a permanent federal funding program to monitor and screen eligible residents and responders and provide medical treatment to those who are suffering from WTC related diseases. The bill would direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct and support research into new conditions that may be related to the attacks and to evaluate different and emerging methods of diagnosis and treatment for these conditions.
"No one will ever forget the horrible events of 9/11 and seven years later we cannot forget about the thousands of people who helped at Ground Zero in the days and months after the attack," Pallone said. "These brave members of our community should not be left to bear the burden of their health care costs after risking their lives to come to our nation's aid. While this is a large undertaking, it is incredibly important that Washington step up and take the lead."
The legislation would also build upon the expertise of the Centers of Excellence, which are currently providing high-quality care to thousands of responders and ensuring ongoing data collection and analysis to evaluate health risks.
The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, a joint institute of Rutgers University and the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is named as one of the Centers of Excellence. The facility serves 1,260 rescue and recovery workers and provides comprehensive medical examinations and follow-up treatment to workers and volunteers who responded to the 9/11 attack.
"I feel privileged to care for these brave individuals,” said Dr. Iris G. Udasin, associate professor at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New Jersey Principal Investigator, World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. "The Zadroga bill will allow the clinical centers to continue to provide state-of-the-art treatment for our patients."
Thousands of first responders, rescue workers and local residents now suffer from chronic medical conditions that are directly related to the tons of dust, glass fragments and other toxins that were released into the air in lower Manhattan when the Twin Towers collapsed. In
Pallone's sixth congressional district, which covers parts of Monmouth, Middlesex and Somerset counties, 1,400 individuals were exposed to the toxins released by the 9/11 attacks.
Studies show that nearly 70 percent of all rescue workers at the World Trade Center currently suffer from complex respiratory conditions that were caused or worsened by the terrorist attacks. One-third of these workers have abnormal pulmonary function tests, and one in every eight responders has experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Studies have examined the effects on local residents, showing a three-fold increase in lower respiratory diseases, low pregnancy rates and an increase in a variety of mental health disorders.
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act is named for James Zadroga, a New Jersey hero who responded on 9/11 and spent hundreds of hours digging through World Trade Center debris. Zadroga died in 2006 from pulmonary disease and respiratory failure after his exposure to toxic dust at the WTC site.
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