Medical Tests Offer Peace of Mind 8 Years After 9/11 Nightmare

CWA Fights for Health of Workers Who Breathed Ground Zero's Toxins for Months

On that dreadful September day eight years ago, Jack Noonan was among the thousands of people running from lower Manhattan through a fog of ash as the sky rained rubble.

Suddenly the debris was so thick that "it was pitch black. You could not see your hand in front of your face," remembers Noonan, a CWA Local 1101 steward and Verizon technician.

The suffocating cloud lifted, but toxins stayed in the air at Ground Zero for months. Wearing white toxic hazard suits and respirators, Noonan and other Verizon technicians "were there from the pile to the pit," he says, restoring the area's telecom lines.

Their eyes watered, their throats ached, allergies and asthma conditions worsened. "Don't worry," Noonan's doctor told his patient, then 41. "It'll take 20 years to kill you."

To CWA, it was nothing to joke about. Union leaders and activists, led by District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton, past Vice President Larry Mancino, and Safety and Health Director Micki Siegel de Hernandez, were among the first to demand that state and federal authorities take action.

 CWA's efforts helped create the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. Over the past seven years, doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital and other centers in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey have put 27,250 Ground Zero rescuers and workers like Noonan through a battery of annual tests. (The numbers don't include firefighters, who are monitored under a separate program).

"It's very thorough and efficient," Noonan says. "It takes a good part of a day, but they have everything mapped out for you. They do blood work, breathing tests, chest X-rays and you talk with a psychiatrist. There's no charge for any of it. They'll even cover a prescription if you need one."

Joe Oschsenfeld, a Local 1101 member in 2001 who has since moved to Long Island and Local 1108, says the monitoring staff and doctors "are some of the most genuine people I've ever met. You walk in there and you really feel like you're walking into family"

Working in lower Manhattan after the attack, Oschsenfeld wore a respirator — "religiously" he says, once they arrived. But he says Verizon didn't provide anything initially. "Someone I worked with went to a hardware store and got us dust masks, and that was all we had for a few days," he says.

He's grateful that CWA fought for monitoring, noting that the company did just a cursory checkup "to make sure we were fit enough to be working down there."

Both he and Noonan have had good test results but are glad to know that if something does develop, the screening will catch it. They aren't worried, but say everyone who worked on or around "the pile" has heard of cancers, respiratory illnesses and even deaths that may be tied to the toxic exposure.

The first death officially linked to Ground Zero toxins was that of New York Police Detective James Zadroga, a 9/11 first responder who was just 34 when he died in 2006. A bill named for him is pending in the U.S. House to ensure that long-term medical monitoring and treatment, as well as financial compensation, is available for any Ground Zero worker who needs it.

Noonan says he's proud of CWA for being on the front lines of the fight for Ground Zero workers' health. "I'm glad we pushed for this," he says. "As a steward, I'm making sure all of my people go."

Oschsenfeld adds: "I've not only recommended they go, I've insisted on it."

For more information about the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, go online to www.WTCexams.org.

Medical Help Available Nationwide For Ground Zero Workers, Volunteers

If you came to New York City as a worker or volunteer to help at Ground Zero, or worked there and have since moved out of state, CWA wants to make sure you know there's help available.

The National Responders program offers medical screening through Logistics Health, Inc., a nationwide network of health care providers. For more information call toll-free (877) 498-2911 or go to www.cdc.gov/ niosh/topics/wtc/national.html.

There's also help for Lower Manhattan residents or workers who aren't eligible for other screening programs. Tests and treatment for adults and children who may have toxin-related illnesses are offered by the WTC Environmental Health Center treatment program at three locations, including Bellevue Hospital. For an appointment or more information call (877) 982-0107.

CWA, Steelworkers Join Forces On Worker Health and Safety

A new partnership between CWA and the Steelworkers means members will be that much safer at work as the two unions run joint safety and health training programs and work together to identify and reduce hazards on the job.

For CWA, it means new and expanded resources for training and an opportunity to get a new generation of workers involved in safety and health issues, said CWA Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande said.

CWA and the USW have jointly applied for two grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to provide member training on exposures to chemicals, hazardous materials and emergency response. The grants could total $21 million. 

CWA safety and health activists also will be able to use the Tony Mazzocchi Center for Health, Safety and Environmental Education, the USW's center for training and education.