15 men who lived and worked around Ground Zero in New York City have developed breast cancer according to a report by the New York Post. Five of the men were first responders to the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, while nine of the individuals lived and worked in the area and one was a student who happened to be downtown when the attack occurred.
Nationally, men make up just one percent of the total cases of breast cancer. One of the victims, 65-year-old Jeff Flynn, told the Post that he had no idea men could even develop breast cancer.
“I ignored it for a number of months. I didn’t even know men could get breast cancer,” he said.
John Mormondo said that he was active and healthy but noticed the lump on his chest while training for the Iron Man triathlon. He said that believes that the cancer formed as a result of his exposure to toxins released into the air when the Twin Towers collapsed.
“There is a very strong possibility this is linked to 9/11. There’s not a history of cancer in my family,” he said.
Nearly 10,000 people have been diagnosed with cancer linked to toxic chemicals they were exposed to at Ground Zero. 1,700 first responders have lost their lives due to complications from their time working at the site, and 420 have developed cancer according to the World Trade Center Health program, which helps people pay for medical costs they incurred as a result of the terrorist attack.
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