In the 22 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 341 first responders have died from ailments attributed to their rescue and recovery efforts at ground zero that day.
The number nearly equals the 343 firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs who died at the World Trade Center complex on Sept. 11, 2001.
The New York City Fire Department on Tuesday announced it was adding 43 more names to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall of those who died from illnesses related to their work on 9/11. It is the second-largest group to be added to the memorial wall since it was created in 2011, when 55 names were added.
"The FDNY continues to feel the impact of that day," FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said in a news release. "Each year, this memorial wall grows as we honor of those who gave their lives in service of others. These brave men and women showed up that day, and in the days and months following the attacks to participate in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site. We will never forget them."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the collapse of the twin towers created mammoth dust clouds that filled the air and left an area of lower Manhattan and northern Brooklyn covered with ash, debris, and toxic particles.
In 2018, Dr. Michael Crane, director of the World Trade Center Health Program at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reported that nearly 10,000 first responders and others who were in the area of the World Trade Center complex have been diagnosed with cancer. More than 2,000 deaths have been attributed to post-9/11 illnesses.
Crane said at the time the average rate of some cancers among first responders was up to 30% higher than the general population.
New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday signed legislation that ensures people who were in the lower Manhattan and northern Brooklyn exposure zones between 9/11 and May 31, 2002, are made aware by employers of their rights to register for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program, which provide monitoring and treatment for eligible individuals with post-9/11-related illnesses.
"On this solemn day of remembrance, let us not only honor the lives lost on 9/11, but also extend our support to the survivors, their loved ones and our first responders," Hochul said in a news release. "New York remains committed to honoring the legacy of those lost and providing resources for victims and their loved ones."