The World Trade Center - Asbestos Use in Construction

For the workers that helped clean up the destruction and those who survived the 9/11 attacks, one of the recurring concerns is exposure to asbestos. Many of the materials that were used in the construction of the World Trade Center unfortunately contained large amounts of asbestos.

The New York Port authority had originally planned to use 5,000 tons of fireproofing that contained asbestos on the first 40 floors of the buildings. From floors 41 onward, no asbestos was going to be used. An article, which appeared in the New York Times on September 18, 2001, seven days after the attack, said:

"Anticipating a ban (on the use of asbestos in construction in NY), the builders stopped using the materials by the time they reached the 40th floor on the north tower, the first one to go up..." According to a spokesperson for the Port Authority, "more than half of the original asbestos-containing material was later replaced."

A fact sheet, which was produced by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health states:

"Asbestos was a major material used in the construction of the World Trade Center. That asbestos is a constituent of the dust and debris." An advisor was given to the emergency workers at ground zero that stated they should wear protective clothing and change out of work clothes before going home. It also stated that work clothes should be bagged at work and washed separately from other laundry to prevent asbestos contamination.

Asbestos fibers are very fine and are easily inhaled. If inhaled, they can become lodged in the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen. These asbestos fibers are indestructible and the body can not break them down. As a result, several forms of asbestos-related disease can occur, including mesothelioma.

To date, there is no cure for any form of mesothelioma cancer and standard chemotherapy doe not work to alleviate or shrink the mesothelioma tumors. There is a new drug, called Alimta, which has recently been approved as a chemotherapy drug specifically for pleural mesothelioma. Alimta is usually combined with Cisplatin, another chemotherapy medication, and is found to have some effect on pleural mesothelioma where the patient is not a candidate for surgery. Other information about health issues associated with the World Trade Center attacks can be found at The World Trade Center - Ongoing Health Problems.

The long term effects of the World Trade Center disaster is yet to be known. This is largely because most asbestos-related diseases take at least 15 years to develop. Mesothelioma, for example, can take as long as 50 years before symptoms arise.

If you are experiencing any respiratory difficulties from 9/11, it is best to contact a mesothelioma lawyer to discuss your case. They will help you decide whether or not now is the time to act and can prepare you for the future and any potential illnesses. To learn more, read our section on The Asbestos Cover-Up.