FUTURE UNCERTAIN FOR HEALTH OF 9/11 HEROES

(SANEPR.com) May 11, 2009 -- (NEW BERN, NC)—In testimony given before the House Committee on Education and Labor, one prominent physician has suggested that the first responders who cleared the WTC site are still in grave danger.

Dr. Philip Landrigan posed two important questions to the committee: Will the current illnesses of those who cleaned up ground zero persist? And will new diseases emerge as time goes on?

“We’d like the answer to be ‘no,’” says Steve Centore, a federal first responder, nuclear physicist, a Navy veteran and author of the new book One of Them: A First Responder’s Story. “But unfortunately, so many signs are pointing to ‘yes.’ Year after year, more first responders are finding themselves in critical condition. Thinking about what will happen another five or ten years down the road is like waiting for a time bomb to explode.”

Dr. Landrigan, professor and chair of the department of community and preventive medicine at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, noted that in the wake of the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001, 21,000 first responders sought medical care for a host of gastrointestinal, mental health and respiratory concerns—many of which have only grown worse over time. But could there be more problems for these brave men and women on the horizon?

“At ground zero, we inhaled ‘toxic dust’ with a high concentration of pulverized concrete, microscopic glass shards, asbestos, dioxins and benzene, to name a few components,” says Mr. Centore. “We’ve already seen a range of illnesses from this, up to including restrictive lung disease. Who knows what these chemicals will do once they’ve had more time inside our bodies?”

One of the Them is a searing account of Mr. Centore’s months spent at ground zero and the years he has since spent fighting a litany of serious health problems that put him among:
• Over 91,000 workers and volunteers who were exposed to ground zero’s toxic dust.
• An additional 400,000 New Yorkers who may have been heavily exposed and could face serious illnesses in the future.
• The 61% of first responders who developed lung ailments while cleaning up the site.
• An estimated 70% of the 50,000-plus first responders who have declared illnesses.

To buy the breakout book One of Them: A First Responder’s Story, visit www.SteveCentore.com or www.wadv-oneofthem.com. The book is also available on Borders.com, Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

For more information about One of Them: A First Responder’s Story, contact Steve Centore directly at Scentore@yahoo.com.

WORLDWIDE ASSOCIATION OF DISABLED VETERANS, INC. and author Steven Centore chose Arbor Books, Inc. (www.ArborBooks.com) to design and promote One of Them: A First Responder’s Story. Arbor Books is an internationally renowned, full-service book design, ghostwriting and marketing firm.

(One of Them: A First Responder’s Story by Steven M. Centore; ISBN: 0-9801274-0-8; $16.95; 208 pages; 5½”x 8½”; softcover; Worldwide Association of Disabled Veterans, Inc.)