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23 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, data from the Health Monitoring Program for populations located in the Ground Zero area reveal a rate of breast cancer among men 90 times higher than the national average in the United States. “The disease is exploding,” warns the lawyer for a group of victims, emphasizing that the proportion of women affected by the disease is also “considerably high.”
Twenty-three years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, a worrying increase in cases of male breast cancer is observed among residents and workers exposed to Ground Zero. According to the New York Post91 men participating in the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) were diagnosed, a figure that represents a rate 90 times the national average.
Breast cancer, although rare in men, remains a serious disease. On average, only 1 in 100,000 men are affected. But among the 98,590 men followed by the WTCHP, the number of cases far exceeds the usual statistics, as explained by Michael Barasch, lawyer for 54 affected male patients. “This rate is probably the tip of the iceberg,” he warns, highlighting the lack of awareness of this form of cancer among men, who do not benefit from screening campaigns as regular as women.
A direct link with toxic dust
Specialists attribute this increase to toxic dust massively released into the air during the collapse of the Twin Towers. In total, more than 50 types of cancers and serious illnesses have been associated with this exposure. Breast cancer is among the pathologies recognized by the Victims’ Compensation Fund, which allows eligible patients to access government-funded treatments as well as compensation of $250,000.
Michael Barasch calls on men to be more vigilant: “Do what women have been doing for years: examine yourself and see a doctor at the slightest symptom. » Lack of awareness of symptoms, such as chest masses or pain, often contributes to late diagnoses.
A phenomenon that also affects women
Women exposed at Ground Zero are not spared. According to the WTCHP, among the 31,430 women enrolled in the program, 3,540 were diagnosed with breast cancer, a rate of 24.16 percent. This figure also far exceeds the national average of 129.4 cases per 100,000 women.
Faced with this reality, experts and victim advocates are calling for strengthening prevention and awareness initiatives to prevent other diagnoses from going unnoticed. For many, the after-effects of the September 11 attack continue to manifest themselves over time, reminding us that the disaster was not limited to its immediate impact.
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