9/11 illness fight expands as responders get older, sicker

A generation later, three times as many people have died with a confirmed 9/11-related illness than perished during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, new data shows.

Some 9,677 people have died since their exposure to the toxic mix of chemicals and irritants at Ground Zero, according to July 2026 data, the latest available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Advocates and medical providers emphasize the numbers only track deceased program participants with confirmed 9/11 illnesses — as opposed to those who die of the ever-evolving list of 9/11-related diseases.

It's a stark death toll 25 years later to add to the 2,977 killed by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, in Pennsylvania, and on the four hijacked jets.

The loss of life from 9/11 also likely won't be curbed anytime soon.

Today, scientific clashes continue to unfold over which diseases should be officially linked to the exposures. Meanwhile, 9/11 health advocates, politicians, and first responders have expressed alarm over rounds of cuts, threatened cuts, and restorations at the federal program caring for the ill and federal agencies that support it.

The clock is ticking for many responders who saved others…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/