‘Health Effects of 9/11’: Online exhibit focuses on responders

Washington — The ongoing health problems of workers who responded during and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks are the focus of an online exhibit recently unveiled by NIOSH and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Launched in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the end of World Trade Center recovery operations, “Health Effects of 9/11” educates online visitors about health conditions linked to various exposures during and after the attacks.

According to the exhibit, around 400,000 people were exposed to “toxic contaminants, risk of physical injury, and physically and emotionally stressful conditions” in the aftermath of separate attacks in New York City; in Somerset County near Shanksville, PA; and at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. Additionally, more than 69,000 people have been diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions related to exposure to dust, debris and the overall trauma of 9/11, NIOSH says.

The exhibit also offers insight into the advocacy efforts that helped establish NIOSH’s World Trade Center Health Program, as well as research that has helped influence care and medical coverage for workers who responded after the attacks.

“I am proud to announce the launch of this online exhibition to honor the precious lives lost on 9/11 and those still struggling with chronic health conditions stemming from that tragic day,” John Howard, NIOSH director and administrator of the program, said in a press release. “The online exhibition offers a wide audience the opportunity to learn and reflect on the lingering effects of 9/11 through the moving visuals and firsthand stories of sacrifice and survival.”