‘I Consider Myself One of the Lucky Ones’

Liam McLoughlin, a union steward from CWA Local 1101 and Verizon field technician, was one of the many CWA members who restored communications in lower Manhattan in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Like many other responders and rescuers, McLoughlin was sickened by the toxic air at Ground Zero but has received help from the medical program CWA helped launch at Mt. Sinai Hospital. The following is from a speech he gave a recent rally to support further medical services for Ground Zero-area workers and residents.

My first job on September 12th was to repair the phone lines for the FBI at Federal Plaza. After that, I continued to work at Ground Zero — on sidewalks, in manholes and in basements for 12 to 15 hours a day for six months.

At first, we had no respirators. After about four days, we were given dust filters. My boss refused to get us respirators. When one of my co-workers said that he was worried about cancer because of his family history, my boss told him not to worry, "cancer skips a generation." I knew the dust filters were useless and offered no protection and I shut our job down, temporarily, because I was concerned about everyone's health. My boss called me a traitor to America. Finally, we were able to get the right respirators from the Red Cross.

I started getting sick very soon after I began work at Ground Zero. I developed terrible sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and acid reflux. I had never had these problems before. I went to my own doctor who treated me for a cold and I was given antibiotics. Because I was misdiagnosed, my health problems didn't go away, they just got worse. Over the past few years I have been out of work for 30 weeks.

When the WTC medical program began at Mt. Sinai, I was one of the first to go for a screening exam. The doctors at Mt. Sinai saw the link between my exposures and the health problems I was having because they had been seeing similar problems in other responders. I was finally able to get the right care and was also referred to an allergist who discovered that I'd also developed an allergy to molds. Who knows what would have happened to me if the World Trade Center medical program had not existed.

I have made sure my co-workers know about the WTC medical program and my entire gang has signed up. We may not be able to take back the horrible exposures we had, but at least we can be assured that we are being watched and taken care of by the experts. The WTC medical monitoring and treatment program needs to continue for a very long time.

I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Even though I have had some problems, there are so many other people who are much sicker than I am, and some who have died. Yesterday, I took my 3-year-old son to his first day at school. I want to make sure that I get to see him off to school every year.