Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement to mark the 11^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York City, Washington DC, and rural Pennsylvania, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3000 people.

“It is an eerie reminder of 11 years ago.  I recall a similar beautiful crisp morning when we awoke on September 11, 2001.  That morning became something horrific within minutes and our nation would be forever changed.  We cannot bring back our lost heroes and loved ones - but New York has come back.  Our skyline will never be the same as it was, but there is a new addition which will always remind us of what was lost.  We now live in a world without Osama bin Laden, who finally answered for his crimes against humanity.

“September 11, 2001 was a day where the world witnessed the worst of what mankind can do.  In the face of that fanaticism, there was much heroism.  Brave NYPD officers, firefighters, and Port Authority officers in lower Manhattan rushed into burning buildings to save people, never to return.  Ordinary citizens in those buildings, in the Pentagon and on the doomed Flight 93 risked, and many lost, their own lives to save others.  Volunteers from around the country flocked to New York City to give blood, or to sift through the rubble looking for survivors – later continuing to work at Ground Zero to find remains to bring some semblance of closure for the families.   Dedicated men and women in our armed forces have fought overseas to break al Qaeda and make our country safe.  That heroism is what I want to take away from that day – not the evil.

“Many of those selfless volunteers, along with many first responders, have developed diseases related to their exposure to fumes and debris from the pile.  That is why I – along with my fellow New York Congressmembers – fought hard for the passage of the James Zadroga 9-11 Health and Compensation Act. We still don’t fully know the long-term effects of exposure to the toxins from 9/11.  However, the 9-11 Health and Compensation Act already provides medical monitoring, treatment and compensation to victims exposed at Ground Zero for various respiratory diseases, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other diseases and conditions. I am pleased the 9-11 Health and Compensation Act will also now protect those exposed who have developed one of the more than 50 different forms of cancer.  The New York delegation fought hard to include cancer in this law, as too many cases of cancer among those exposed to Ground Zero have added to the victim list in these past 11 years. 

“Anyone who lived through September 11, 2001 will never forget it.  It is our job to ensure future generations learn about it, learn from it, and ensure it is never repeated.”

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Listed below are the forms of cancer now covered by the Zadroga Act:

? Malignant neoplasms of the lip, tongue, salivary gland,

floor of mouth, gum and other mouth, tonsil, oropharynx,

hypopharynx, and other oral cavity and pharynx

? Malignant neoplasm of the nasopharynx

? Malignant neoplasms of the nose, nasal cavity, middle

ear, and accessory sinuses

? Malignant neoplasm of the larynx

? Malignant neoplasm of the esophagus

? Malignant neoplasm of the stomach

? Malignant neoplasm of the colon and rectum

? Malignant neoplasm of the liver and intrahepatic bile

duct

? Malignant neoplasms of the retroperitoneum and

peritoneum, omentum, and mesentery

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? Malignant neoplasms of the trachea; bronchus and lung;

heart, mediastinum and pleura; and other ill-defined

sites in the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs

? Mesothelioma

? Malignant neoplasms of the soft tissues (sarcomas)

? Malignant neoplasms of the skin (melanoma and nonmelanoma),

including scrotal cancer

? Malignant neoplasm of the breast

? Malignant neoplasm of the ovary

? Malignant neoplasm of the urinary bladder

? Malignant neoplasm of the kidney

? Malignant neoplasms of renal pelvis, ureter and other

urinary organs

? Malignant neoplasms of the eye and orbit

? Malignant neoplasm of the thyroid

? Malignant neoplasms of the blood and lymphoid tissues

(including, but not limited to, lymphoma, leukemia, and

myeloma)

? Childhood cancers

? Rare cancers

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