Federal health officials have decided in an initial review not to add cancer to the list of health conditions related to the 2001 World Trade Center attack and its cleanup, meaning that those stricken with it cannot get health benefits under the so-called Zadroga bill.
The determination by Dr. John Howard at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health comes in its first review of cancer as a potential trade center-related health effect. Another review is planned for early next year.
For the report released Tuesday, a panel reviewed scientific and medical findings on ground zero health, and decided “insufficient evidence exists at this time” to add cancer to the list of trade center-related conditions.
Howard is the administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program.
The report notes that an absence of published findings documenting a direct causal link between the trade center and cancer does not mean there is no link. It simply means there isn’t enough documentation to meet the requirements needed to add cancer to the list at this time, the report said.
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