9/11 Attacks Led to 3,000% Cancer Increase For Survivors, First Responders

Michael Barasch has been one of the staunchest advocates on behalf of roughly 500,000 civilians, law enforcement and first responders who have suffered from countless diseases correlated to the World Trade Center attacks 25 years ago.

Barasch, an attorney at the New York City-based law firm Barasch & McGarry, was instrumental in working on behalf of more than 140,000 survivors and first responders who have benefited over the years from World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) funding approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that included victims at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa.

WTCHP is defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a limited federal health care program that provides high-quality, compassionate medical monitoring and treatment for those directly affected by the conditions associated with all related 9/11 attacks.

But as the years have gone by, the post-9/11 effects have led to what Barasch has described as America’s largest cancer cluster in 250 years. Over the past 10 years, specifically, cancer certifications in overall 9/11 victims exploded from 3,204 in 2015 to 57,044 in 2026, representing a 1,680% increase.

The “most alarming escalation,” he said, is among survivors whose cancer certifications went from 867 in 2016 to 28,913 in 2026, showing a skyrocketed increase of 3,235%.

It also surpasses the rates of first responders for the first time in program history, exposing how 9/11’s delayed health crisis is accelerating among the civilian population at extreme rates.

“The frustrating thing is that so many people have not accessed the benefits that they’re entitled to,” Barasch told Military.com. “So many people. They call it the World Trade Center Health Program.

“It’s a terrible name because it tells people or gives people the wrong impression that if you were injured or got sick because of breathing dust at the Pentagon or in Shanksville, you are not eligible because you weren’t at the World Trade Center. Well, that’s not true.”

He said such individuals are eligible. And if they are diagnosed with cancer, they are entitled to $250,000. Meanwhile, he said many still have not enrolled.

“So many non-first responders have still not enrolled, and that’s a shame because they were breathing the same toxic dust as the cops and the firefighters and the military who were at Ground Zero and at the Pentagon,” he added. “They’ve been diagnosed and dying of the same exact illnesses, and yet their families don’t realize they’re not connecting the dots.”

Findings Between 2001 and Today

As more data becomes uncovered, there are more warning signs of people contracting new diseases.

Today, a quarter-century after the attacks, the health toll is demonstrating a terrifying new trend. June 2026 CDC data revealed that 67.3% of 145,275 current WTCHC members are certified for at least one of 69 cancers linked to 9/11 toxins, effectively contracting cancer virtually 7 times greater than the original forecast of 10% above the national average.

Barasch said that over 52,000 people have been certified with a 9/11 cancer since that day, presenting “a gross understatement of the true statistics” since those are only individuals who followed the health program and had their illnesses certified. Or, others went to attorneys like Barasch to bring claims for victim compensation on behalf of loved ones.

He told Military.com that 25 years later, people are reaching out to him “more than ever.” His firm loses two clients per day and phone calls mentioning a parent or spouse who died are unfortunately routine.

Sometimes, it hits even closer to home.

“It’s awful, it’s heartbreaking,” he said. “My office is just 2 1/2 blocks from Ground Zero. I lost my secretary, Leanna, to breast cancer, my paralegal, Dennis, to kidney cancer.I am a prostate cancer survivor. My secretary, Barbara, has lymphoma. My partner, Barry, has pretty bad skin cancer.

“This affected me and my office as well, which is why we take this so personally. But it is so comforting for me to tell a client, especially a client who’s dying, ‘Don’t worry, sir. Your family won’t lose their house. Your kids can go to college,’ and this is all because of something Congress, in a bipartisan way, did.”

Justice for Victims

The WTCHP was established by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (known as the Zadroga Act), which was extended in 2015.

The program is named after a New York Police Department detective who developed pulmonary fibrosis as a result of his exposure to the deadly 9/11 toxins and died at age 34. He was represented by Barasch’s firm.

Barasch was amplifying concerns roughly one year ago. While the Victim Compensation Fund associated with WTCHP was fully funded all the way through 2090, the health program was in danger of running out of money and not being able to accept any new patients after 2027 if Congress did not fully fund the health program.

But a bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill, coupled with 14 trips to Washington by Barasch and advocates, led to continued funding.

“It really was bipartisan because this toxic dust from 25 years ago didn’t care if you were Democrat or Republican, and it didn’t care if you were a FEMA responder from New York, Miami, Arizona, New Mexico, Indianapolis,” he said. “People came from all over the country. They went back to their homes afterward. We have people living in all 50 states who use the health program.”

Ongoing Air Quality Concerns and the ‘Smell of Death’

Environmental concerns remain front and center.

On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the release of more than 170,000 pages of city records documenting the government’s response to the attacks, including pages of records concerning health concerns, air quality and the city’s response to the day that will be commemorated this Friday on its 25th anniversary.

Jon Stewart, a longtime advocate for 9/11 first responders and veterans overall, said the same day that it was essentially a government cover-up and that officials “knew” of the dangers but cautioned nobody of their severity.

Barasch told Military.com that he believes the Bush administration at the time was “overwhelmed” and didn’t understand how to properly react to the health concerns.

“Hopefully, our government has learned from how awful the EPA acted,” he said, adding that he doesn’t personally blame then-EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman, who he said was not a doctor or scientist.

Simultaneously, Barasch said that 300,000 office workers, 50,000 students and teachers, and 35,000 downtown residents didn’t have to be invited back to school or work or home.

“Yes, it was awful that the government lied to us. … All I can say is, what did we learn? We learned that we should trust our citizens to handle the truth, so that they [can] make educated decisions,” he said. “Certainly, as a parent, I would never let [my kids out] if I knew now how awful the air was and how dangerous it was. I never would have let my kid go back to school.

“As an adult, I would have made an informed decision. Maybe I would have worn a mask when I got out of the subway. I don’t know. Instead, I just foolishly believed our government and went back to work every day.”

The thoughts, and smells, still remain decades later. A stench from the subway in the aftermath was characterized as the “smell of death.”

“It was just awful,” he added. “I don’t know what we really have learned, but I think the moral of the story is just be honest with your citizens.”