From The New York Times:

For the first time since the terrible event on September 11, 2001, rescue workers in NYC can breathe a little easier today. A U.S. District Court has settled an insurance case for workers who have suffered health problems since having been exposed to hazardous environmental agents during the rescue and clean up efforts at the World Trade Center site. The settlement is reported to provide up to $657.5 million for the approximately 10 thousand workers who have claimed health damage from the rescue effort. The money awarded to individual claimants will vary depending on the severity of their illness and any medical conditions or risk factors they were known to have prior to the exposure.

Most of the complaints these people are taking to their doctors are of respiratory nature, with the common diagnosis being asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Some are also developing cancers. An example from the New York Times article: a man who developed esophageal cancer after 9/11 who has since died. Esophageal cancer is known to occur in smokers and patients who have a history of gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is also been linked to asbestos and other environmental exposures. So his award would have to consider his past medical history and personal habits in addition to the role his job at Ground Zero played in developing cancer. If he were a big smoker, drinker, or had bad reflux, his award might be less than if he were completely healthy.

Naturally, some people are happy with the settlement and others are not. One fire fighter says that it took too long; people have had to suffer too long without financial assistance. The lawyers think this is a great settlement. I have to agree. It would be really hard to prove that an environmental exposure caused some one’s esophageal or thyroid cancer. These cancers were bound to happen to a certain percentage of the workers anyway – regardless of the hazards of their jobs. They could have been sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer all day and still have developed cancer at some point in their lives.  And who’s to say that this particular job was any more health-risky than any other job a fire fighter might respond to?  Aren’t they exposed to burning buildings every day?  They better take the money and run.