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Who the fuck is it that he's waiting for? Not one claim accepted yet? Or am I confused? Is this something different?
A Fallen Hero - Video Inside
- Thread starter Gold9472
- Start date
Son of 9/11 Cop Seeks Meeting With Bush
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6368637,00.html
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday January 24, 2007 7:01 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) - A day after his father's death, the grieving son of a Sept. 11 police officer said Wednesday he wants to meet with President Bush to describe his father's sacrifice and the health needs of other sick ground zero workers.
Ceasar Borja Jr. attended the president's State of the Union address on Tuesday night just hours after learning his father had died from lung problems.
"I want a meeting with the president to make the case directly about how important these health programs are," Borja told The Associated Press.
"I want him to hear from me how my father died a hero last night, and there are many heroes that will and are continuing to die because they're not given the proper medical attention or not given enough help from the federal government," said the 21-year-old college student, his voice breaking with emotion.
After getting the awful news that his father had died, the son had insisted on going ahead and attending the president's speech to honor his father and draw attention to the issue of Sept. 11-related health problems.
He had been invited by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., a longtime advocate for Sept. 11 health issues.
"I need to be strong, and I am just doing my best," Borja said. The family was beginning to prepare for a weekend funeral.
His father, 52-year-old Cesar Borja, was a 20-year veteran of the New York police who died Tuesday at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York while awaiting a lung transplant.
The case is the latest to raise concerns about the long-term health threats to thousands of rescue and recovery workers who toiled at the World Trade Center debris pile.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6368637,00.html
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday January 24, 2007 7:01 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) - A day after his father's death, the grieving son of a Sept. 11 police officer said Wednesday he wants to meet with President Bush to describe his father's sacrifice and the health needs of other sick ground zero workers.
Ceasar Borja Jr. attended the president's State of the Union address on Tuesday night just hours after learning his father had died from lung problems.
"I want a meeting with the president to make the case directly about how important these health programs are," Borja told The Associated Press.
"I want him to hear from me how my father died a hero last night, and there are many heroes that will and are continuing to die because they're not given the proper medical attention or not given enough help from the federal government," said the 21-year-old college student, his voice breaking with emotion.
After getting the awful news that his father had died, the son had insisted on going ahead and attending the president's speech to honor his father and draw attention to the issue of Sept. 11-related health problems.
He had been invited by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., a longtime advocate for Sept. 11 health issues.
"I need to be strong, and I am just doing my best," Borja said. The family was beginning to prepare for a weekend funeral.
His father, 52-year-old Cesar Borja, was a 20-year veteran of the New York police who died Tuesday at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York while awaiting a lung transplant.
The case is the latest to raise concerns about the long-term health threats to thousands of rescue and recovery workers who toiled at the World Trade Center debris pile.
Survivors of 9/11 responders may qualify for scholarships
http://examiner.gmnews.com/news/2007/0125/Front_Page/038.html
1/24/2006
Legislation that state Assembly members Pamela R. Lampitt, Fred Scalera, Mike Panter and Patrick J. Diegnan sponsored to provide college scholarships to surviving family members of New Jerseyans who die from illnesses caused by exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attack sites has been signed into law by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.
According to a press release, the new law (A-3019) extends benefits of the New Jersey World Trade Center Scholarship Program to dependents and spouses of individuals who die as a result of illnesses caused by exposure to the sites attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.
The legislators said the law will help families like that of an Ocean County man who died last January from pulmonary disease and respiratory failure that reportedly was a direct result of his extensive service at ground zero as a New York City police officer.
"New Jerseyans never will be able to erase from their minds the images of 9/11, but many residents continue to suffer acutely because of direct exposure to ground zero and the other attack sites," said Lampitt (D-Camden). "We have an obligation to help these first responders and other New Jerseyans who contracted deadly illnesses in the aftermath of Sept. 11."
Under the law, a survivor will be eligible for a scholarship to help cover the cost of undergraduate study upon providing medical records or other documentation showing that his or her relative's death was caused by exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attack sites.
"Police, fire and EMT personnel throughout the region responded to ground zero without thought to their own personal safety and well-being," said Scalera (D-Essex and Bergen), who serves as deputy fire chief in Nutley. "We must recognize the sacrifices of these brave men and women even if they did not perish on 9/11 or shortly thereafter."
According to the press release, the new law augments the existing program that made available annual college scholarships to children and spouses of people who were New Jersey residents on Sept. 11, 2001, and killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pa., or as a result of injuries from the attacks.
"The loss of a parent or spouse to the terrorist attacks is a tragedy whether the loved one died on 9/11 or only recently," said Panter (D-Monmouth and Mercer). "Providing college scholarships cannot in any way make up for that personal loss, but it can help families survive and make progress in their own lives. It also is a fitting tribute to the brave New Jerseyans who responded in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks and have since struggled with deadly illnesses."
"A college education can open the door to a lifetime of opportunity," said Diegnan (D-Middlesex). "Expanding the scholarship program ensures that New Jerseyans are not cut off from achieving their dreams because a 9/11-related illness took their spouses or parents."
According to the press release, a recent study showed the average decline in lung function among firefighters who were at ground zero one year after the terrorist attacks was equivalent to 12 years of aging.
http://examiner.gmnews.com/news/2007/0125/Front_Page/038.html
1/24/2006
Legislation that state Assembly members Pamela R. Lampitt, Fred Scalera, Mike Panter and Patrick J. Diegnan sponsored to provide college scholarships to surviving family members of New Jerseyans who die from illnesses caused by exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attack sites has been signed into law by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.
According to a press release, the new law (A-3019) extends benefits of the New Jersey World Trade Center Scholarship Program to dependents and spouses of individuals who die as a result of illnesses caused by exposure to the sites attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.
The legislators said the law will help families like that of an Ocean County man who died last January from pulmonary disease and respiratory failure that reportedly was a direct result of his extensive service at ground zero as a New York City police officer.
"New Jerseyans never will be able to erase from their minds the images of 9/11, but many residents continue to suffer acutely because of direct exposure to ground zero and the other attack sites," said Lampitt (D-Camden). "We have an obligation to help these first responders and other New Jerseyans who contracted deadly illnesses in the aftermath of Sept. 11."
Under the law, a survivor will be eligible for a scholarship to help cover the cost of undergraduate study upon providing medical records or other documentation showing that his or her relative's death was caused by exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attack sites.
"Police, fire and EMT personnel throughout the region responded to ground zero without thought to their own personal safety and well-being," said Scalera (D-Essex and Bergen), who serves as deputy fire chief in Nutley. "We must recognize the sacrifices of these brave men and women even if they did not perish on 9/11 or shortly thereafter."
According to the press release, the new law augments the existing program that made available annual college scholarships to children and spouses of people who were New Jersey residents on Sept. 11, 2001, and killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pa., or as a result of injuries from the attacks.
"The loss of a parent or spouse to the terrorist attacks is a tragedy whether the loved one died on 9/11 or only recently," said Panter (D-Monmouth and Mercer). "Providing college scholarships cannot in any way make up for that personal loss, but it can help families survive and make progress in their own lives. It also is a fitting tribute to the brave New Jerseyans who responded in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks and have since struggled with deadly illnesses."
"A college education can open the door to a lifetime of opportunity," said Diegnan (D-Middlesex). "Expanding the scholarship program ensures that New Jerseyans are not cut off from achieving their dreams because a 9/11-related illness took their spouses or parents."
According to the press release, a recent study showed the average decline in lung function among firefighters who were at ground zero one year after the terrorist attacks was equivalent to 12 years of aging.
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*raises eyebrows*
I have to say this, and understand that I am not being a dick. Alot of us KNEW that we shouldn't be in that shit w/o a mask (and that wouldn't have been enough, you needed a fine particulate respiraor to keep that shit out) We didn't need anyone to tell us that it was bad stuff to be breathing. After 12 or 14 hours in that shit, you could FEEL it in your chest. Alot of the people DID wear them most times, and yelled at those who didn't. I don't even remember hearing anything about anyone saying the air was bad or good outside of being yelled at by other people for not wearing a mask. At no time did they stop everyone and say "hey the air is great, you have NOTHING to worry about."
Conversely, no one stopped everyone and said, "You HAVE to wear a mask, this shit is bad."
Scholarships sound like a bribe to me. It fixes nothing. The people who went there (emt, fire and police) risk their lives for a living. Are they saying that because no one came and stopped them from working and told them how bad it was, that now someone is liable for that? Shouldn't they be covered by their respective insurance companies? I KNOW cops and firemen in NYC, they have awsome benefits, why aren't those covering them?
Look me in the eye & save WTC heroes
After ex-cop's death, stricken son pleads with Prez to aid others who are suffering
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/491698p-414162c.html
By ADAM LISBERG, NICOLE BODE
and DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
1/25/2007
A tearful Ceasar Borja Jr. holds the cover of yesterday's Daily News skyward, so his father in heaven can read it. 'Dad, I will make you proud,' the cover promised.
The grieving son of a dead city cop is waiting to hear from you, Mr. President. His message: Please help the ailing heroes of 9/11 so that no more have to die.
"I just want the President to look in my face and see how important it is that we get help," 21-year-old Ceasar Borja Jr. told the Daily News yesterday, a day after his cop father succumbed to lung disease after spending 16-hour days atop the smoldering wreckage of Ground Zero.
"I want him to hear how my father died a hero," added Borja, "and how there are many other heroes who are continuing to die and who need help." Last night a Bush spokesman said the White House is "aware of the request" but has not agreed to a meeting.
"We extend our condolences to Mr. Borja and his family during this difficult time," said spokesman Scott Stanzel. The young Borja got the response after traveling from Washington to New York to bury his hero father, retired NYPD Officer Cesar Borja.
"I am thankful for the statement that was released, but I still look forward to the funding and financial support to finally be delivered," said Borja, who still wants to sit down with Bush.
The timing of the elder Borja's death - less than three hours before his son was to attend President Bush's State of the Union address as the guest of Sen. Hillary Clinton - immediately transformed the cop's stoic son into a national symbol for 9/11's sick and dying heroes. Borja insisted on going to the speech in the name of his father and thousands of other Ground Zero workers who are battling health issues, a powerful tale told by every TV network and hundreds of newspapers.
But the public spotlight could not have come at a bleaker time for the family, which was struggling with the gaping new hole in their lives and the sad task of burying a father and husband.
"I know in his mind he wanted to fight it, but in his body he couldn't," Borja's widow, Eva, told The News in her Bayside, Queens, living room.
She cradled a framed certificate from the NYPD honoring Borja for never missing a day of work before his retirement in 2003. Small oxygen tanks in one corner of the homey living room nevertheless stood as silent reminders of his more recent lung problems, diagnosed as pulmonary fibrosis.
Eva Borja said the last time her husband was conscious, he told her that even though he had been in a deep sleep he could hear everything she said. So as she hovered over him Tuesday, she whispered softly in his ear. "I knew he was going," she said. "I could feel it in my heart. I was singing to him. I knew he could hear me."
A law signed by former Gov. George Pataki in August boosted the pension of public employees who worked at Ground Zero and later died to 100% pay for their families. But the city has argued the bill was poorly drafted and will pay only 50% until the bill is fixed, which could take months.
"It's not fair," said Emma Perez, a sister-in-law of the elder Borja. "These people sacrificed their lives, and now their children are in jeopardy."
Mayor Bloomberg called Borja's death "very tragic" but said the real focus should be on the federal government and the need for an expanded Victim Compensation Fund, which once provided benefits to surviving families but has been shut down.
Many expressed hope that Borja's story would finally persuade Bush to commit to a comprehensive plan for addressing emergent 9/11 health issues. "If his death does not convince the President to come up with a plan to deal with this medical crisis and fund medical monitoring and treatment, I don't know what else will," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) said.
A bill already filed by Clinton (D-N.Y.) would set aside $1.9 billion to cover growing health care costs of 9/11 rescuers; the legislation is awaiting hearings before the Senate health committee.
"I think the federal government has an obligation to make sure we provide health care to these people," Clinton said in the Capitol.
So does Borja, who late yesterday made it back home, where he fell into the arms of his crying mother.
"I am so proud of you and your strength," Eva Borja said as she clutched her son in the foyer of their Tudor-style home. "You are so brave."
"Mom, I am not going to stop fighting," the younger Borja replied. "You know that. You know that Dad is a fighter. He wanted to let go so that he could see me at the State of the Union."
Time set aside to pay last respects
A wake for Cesar Borja will be held today and tomorrow, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Gleason Funeral Home, 36-46 Bell Blvd., Queens, which is donating its services. A funeral Mass will be said at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 34-42 210th St., Queens. Burial will follow at Mount St. Mary's Cemetery, 172-00 Booth Memorial Ave., Flushing.
After ex-cop's death, stricken son pleads with Prez to aid others who are suffering
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/491698p-414162c.html
By ADAM LISBERG, NICOLE BODE
and DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
1/25/2007
A tearful Ceasar Borja Jr. holds the cover of yesterday's Daily News skyward, so his father in heaven can read it. 'Dad, I will make you proud,' the cover promised.
The grieving son of a dead city cop is waiting to hear from you, Mr. President. His message: Please help the ailing heroes of 9/11 so that no more have to die.
"I just want the President to look in my face and see how important it is that we get help," 21-year-old Ceasar Borja Jr. told the Daily News yesterday, a day after his cop father succumbed to lung disease after spending 16-hour days atop the smoldering wreckage of Ground Zero.
"I want him to hear how my father died a hero," added Borja, "and how there are many other heroes who are continuing to die and who need help." Last night a Bush spokesman said the White House is "aware of the request" but has not agreed to a meeting.
"We extend our condolences to Mr. Borja and his family during this difficult time," said spokesman Scott Stanzel. The young Borja got the response after traveling from Washington to New York to bury his hero father, retired NYPD Officer Cesar Borja.
"I am thankful for the statement that was released, but I still look forward to the funding and financial support to finally be delivered," said Borja, who still wants to sit down with Bush.
The timing of the elder Borja's death - less than three hours before his son was to attend President Bush's State of the Union address as the guest of Sen. Hillary Clinton - immediately transformed the cop's stoic son into a national symbol for 9/11's sick and dying heroes. Borja insisted on going to the speech in the name of his father and thousands of other Ground Zero workers who are battling health issues, a powerful tale told by every TV network and hundreds of newspapers.
But the public spotlight could not have come at a bleaker time for the family, which was struggling with the gaping new hole in their lives and the sad task of burying a father and husband.
"I know in his mind he wanted to fight it, but in his body he couldn't," Borja's widow, Eva, told The News in her Bayside, Queens, living room.
She cradled a framed certificate from the NYPD honoring Borja for never missing a day of work before his retirement in 2003. Small oxygen tanks in one corner of the homey living room nevertheless stood as silent reminders of his more recent lung problems, diagnosed as pulmonary fibrosis.
Eva Borja said the last time her husband was conscious, he told her that even though he had been in a deep sleep he could hear everything she said. So as she hovered over him Tuesday, she whispered softly in his ear. "I knew he was going," she said. "I could feel it in my heart. I was singing to him. I knew he could hear me."
A law signed by former Gov. George Pataki in August boosted the pension of public employees who worked at Ground Zero and later died to 100% pay for their families. But the city has argued the bill was poorly drafted and will pay only 50% until the bill is fixed, which could take months.
"It's not fair," said Emma Perez, a sister-in-law of the elder Borja. "These people sacrificed their lives, and now their children are in jeopardy."
Mayor Bloomberg called Borja's death "very tragic" but said the real focus should be on the federal government and the need for an expanded Victim Compensation Fund, which once provided benefits to surviving families but has been shut down.
Many expressed hope that Borja's story would finally persuade Bush to commit to a comprehensive plan for addressing emergent 9/11 health issues. "If his death does not convince the President to come up with a plan to deal with this medical crisis and fund medical monitoring and treatment, I don't know what else will," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) said.
A bill already filed by Clinton (D-N.Y.) would set aside $1.9 billion to cover growing health care costs of 9/11 rescuers; the legislation is awaiting hearings before the Senate health committee.
"I think the federal government has an obligation to make sure we provide health care to these people," Clinton said in the Capitol.
So does Borja, who late yesterday made it back home, where he fell into the arms of his crying mother.
"I am so proud of you and your strength," Eva Borja said as she clutched her son in the foyer of their Tudor-style home. "You are so brave."
"Mom, I am not going to stop fighting," the younger Borja replied. "You know that. You know that Dad is a fighter. He wanted to let go so that he could see me at the State of the Union."
Time set aside to pay last respects
A wake for Cesar Borja will be held today and tomorrow, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Gleason Funeral Home, 36-46 Bell Blvd., Queens, which is donating its services. A funeral Mass will be said at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 34-42 210th St., Queens. Burial will follow at Mount St. Mary's Cemetery, 172-00 Booth Memorial Ave., Flushing.
My dad is strong, now I will be, too
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/491705p-414171c.html
BY CEASAR BORJA JR.
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
1/25/2007
THE NIGHT BEFORE my father passed away, I took out our old family photos. I was going to go to Washington to be Sen. Hillary Clinton's guest at the State of the Union speech, and I wanted to remember my father.
My favorite one is from a vacation at Disney World when I was about 3. My dad was giving me a piggyback ride, with my legs draped over his shoulders and his hands holding me up.
I was so small. I like it because it's my dad keeping me balanced and literally carrying me on his shoulders. But now I'm carrying him on my shoulders.
My father, Cesar Borja, was a New York City police officer. In making people feel safe and protected, he felt like it was the best job in the world. He always told me he didn't want to go up in rank. He liked being on the streets where the people are. He felt like he could make the most difference there.
I was never afraid of my dad doing anything because he never failed. He was a hero when he worked at the World Trade Center, and when he passed away Tuesday night, he died a hero.
My dad called everyone "Baby" - he called me baby, and I'm 21. Now, I say it, too. He also called me "Kuya," which is my nickname. He named me after himself, but he spelled my name a little differently because he wanted to make me unique. I know I'm technically not a "Junior" because he spells it differently, but if my father says I'm a Junior, I am.
My father was a pretty macho guy. He didn't talk about a lot of things in depth, but he would take me out to the garage and we would work on cars together. He'd say, "Kuya, come on. Let's go do this." He loved us so much.
He didn't say much, but I know what he would say if he had survived. It would be just one sentence: "Told you I'd come home." And if my dad could talk to George Bush, he'd say just one thing: "Think we deserve this?"
Just being alone in the [hospital] room with my father and studying him, I understand him more.
He looked so tough. Bullies used to pick on me because I'm so small. My dad said, "Kuya, am I the biggest police officer? No. I'm one of the smallest. But I'm never absent, and I always do my best." He's my hero. He taught me everything.
What I'm most proud of receiving from dad is his strength. People say I'm strong to be speaking about him right after he passed away, but if you think I'm strong now, you should have seen my father on a normal day. I'm proud to even get a fraction of his strength.
Now, I'm fighting for my father and for all the heroes of the World Trade Center. He always said, "Do your best or do nothing." I'm doing my best so that everyone who is suffering can get the care and the help that they need, so no other son ever has to go through what I'm going through.
Ceasar Borja Jr. lives in Bayside, Queens. He is a student at Hunter College and plans to major in journalism.
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/491705p-414171c.html
BY CEASAR BORJA JR.
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
1/25/2007
THE NIGHT BEFORE my father passed away, I took out our old family photos. I was going to go to Washington to be Sen. Hillary Clinton's guest at the State of the Union speech, and I wanted to remember my father.
My favorite one is from a vacation at Disney World when I was about 3. My dad was giving me a piggyback ride, with my legs draped over his shoulders and his hands holding me up.
I was so small. I like it because it's my dad keeping me balanced and literally carrying me on his shoulders. But now I'm carrying him on my shoulders.
My father, Cesar Borja, was a New York City police officer. In making people feel safe and protected, he felt like it was the best job in the world. He always told me he didn't want to go up in rank. He liked being on the streets where the people are. He felt like he could make the most difference there.
I was never afraid of my dad doing anything because he never failed. He was a hero when he worked at the World Trade Center, and when he passed away Tuesday night, he died a hero.
My dad called everyone "Baby" - he called me baby, and I'm 21. Now, I say it, too. He also called me "Kuya," which is my nickname. He named me after himself, but he spelled my name a little differently because he wanted to make me unique. I know I'm technically not a "Junior" because he spells it differently, but if my father says I'm a Junior, I am.
My father was a pretty macho guy. He didn't talk about a lot of things in depth, but he would take me out to the garage and we would work on cars together. He'd say, "Kuya, come on. Let's go do this." He loved us so much.
He didn't say much, but I know what he would say if he had survived. It would be just one sentence: "Told you I'd come home." And if my dad could talk to George Bush, he'd say just one thing: "Think we deserve this?"
Just being alone in the [hospital] room with my father and studying him, I understand him more.
He looked so tough. Bullies used to pick on me because I'm so small. My dad said, "Kuya, am I the biggest police officer? No. I'm one of the smallest. But I'm never absent, and I always do my best." He's my hero. He taught me everything.
What I'm most proud of receiving from dad is his strength. People say I'm strong to be speaking about him right after he passed away, but if you think I'm strong now, you should have seen my father on a normal day. I'm proud to even get a fraction of his strength.
Now, I'm fighting for my father and for all the heroes of the World Trade Center. He always said, "Do your best or do nothing." I'm doing my best so that everyone who is suffering can get the care and the help that they need, so no other son ever has to go through what I'm going through.
Ceasar Borja Jr. lives in Bayside, Queens. He is a student at Hunter College and plans to major in journalism.
Mourners remember 9/11 officer who died awaiting lung transplant
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--attacks-health0125jan25,0,5168286.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
By PAT MILTON
Associated Press Writer
January 25, 2007, 4:16 PM EST
NEW YORK -- The son of a police officer who died five years after his 9/11 rescue efforts told mourners Thursday that his father's death should prompt increased efforts to take care of others afflicted with Sept. 11-related health problems.
"Let's show Dad that from his passing, there is still so much good he can do," Ceasar Borja Jr. said at a Queens funeral home, speaking in front of his father's casket during a wake. "He can still affect us. There's still so much good we can do when we're together."
Borja Jr., 21, was invited by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to attended President Bush's State of the Union address. He was in Washington on Tuesday when he learned of his father's death.
Cesar Borja, 52, died while awaiting a lung transplant at Mount Sinai Medical Center. The 20-year police veteran fell ill after working 16-hour shifts, three days a week, on the toxic debris pile created by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the twin towers.
Ceasar, wearing his father's police jacket, said he still hoped to follow his father into the New York Police Department despite a slight hearing disability that has undermined his previous efforts.
Large bouquets of flowers flanked Borja's flag-draped casket as about 50 family members and friends filed into the wake. Across the front of the room were large collages of photographs showing the late officer with family, friends and colleagues.
Borja retired from the NYPD in 2003, and developed the "World Trade Center cough" a short time later, his son said. He was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.
A half-dozen police officers greeted guests as they arrived at Gleason's Funeral Home in the Bayside section of Queens for the wake.
A second day of the wake was scheduled for Friday, with a funeral Mass set for Saturday morning.
The younger Borja hopes to meet with Bush to discuss his father's case and make a pitch for the health needs of other ill ground zero workers. Clinton and other New York lawmakers have asked Bush to include money in the national budget to treat and monitor thousands of people who say they developed respiratory and other illnesses after working at the World Trade Center site.
"He wanted me to do something greater than him, to stand for something more, and now I'm going to do that," Ceasar Borja said. "I'm going to fight for all those who became ill while working at ground zero."
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--attacks-health0125jan25,0,5168286.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
By PAT MILTON
Associated Press Writer
January 25, 2007, 4:16 PM EST
NEW YORK -- The son of a police officer who died five years after his 9/11 rescue efforts told mourners Thursday that his father's death should prompt increased efforts to take care of others afflicted with Sept. 11-related health problems.
"Let's show Dad that from his passing, there is still so much good he can do," Ceasar Borja Jr. said at a Queens funeral home, speaking in front of his father's casket during a wake. "He can still affect us. There's still so much good we can do when we're together."
Borja Jr., 21, was invited by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to attended President Bush's State of the Union address. He was in Washington on Tuesday when he learned of his father's death.
Cesar Borja, 52, died while awaiting a lung transplant at Mount Sinai Medical Center. The 20-year police veteran fell ill after working 16-hour shifts, three days a week, on the toxic debris pile created by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the twin towers.
Ceasar, wearing his father's police jacket, said he still hoped to follow his father into the New York Police Department despite a slight hearing disability that has undermined his previous efforts.
Large bouquets of flowers flanked Borja's flag-draped casket as about 50 family members and friends filed into the wake. Across the front of the room were large collages of photographs showing the late officer with family, friends and colleagues.
Borja retired from the NYPD in 2003, and developed the "World Trade Center cough" a short time later, his son said. He was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.
A half-dozen police officers greeted guests as they arrived at Gleason's Funeral Home in the Bayside section of Queens for the wake.
A second day of the wake was scheduled for Friday, with a funeral Mass set for Saturday morning.
The younger Borja hopes to meet with Bush to discuss his father's case and make a pitch for the health needs of other ill ground zero workers. Clinton and other New York lawmakers have asked Bush to include money in the national budget to treat and monitor thousands of people who say they developed respiratory and other illnesses after working at the World Trade Center site.
"He wanted me to do something greater than him, to stand for something more, and now I'm going to do that," Ceasar Borja said. "I'm going to fight for all those who became ill while working at ground zero."
Congress must pass 9/11 victims’ health assistance programs
http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_194/editorial.html
Volume 19 Issue 37 | January 26 - February 1, 2007
Like far too many other self-sacrificing men and women who searched for bodies at the World Trade Center site in 2001 and 2002, Police Officer Cesar Borja, 52, developed an illness that almost certainly was related to the toxic chemicals released into the air as a result of the collapse of the Twin Towers. The day before, Ceasar Borja, 21, the officer’s son, came to the site asking the president and Congress for money to provide health care for his father and thousands of others who are suffering because of the attack. He was in Washington lobbying with Sen. Hillary Clinton when he learned of his father’s death.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to the Borja family.
Clinton, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler and others in Congress are pushing for $1.9 billion to continue a health program for 9/11 recovery workers. They also have a bill that would provide Medicare coverage to workers and residents who can demonstrate health damage related to the attack.
It is essential both bills are passed. Medicare, one of the largest and most efficient programs in the history of government, should be able to easily absorb the infinitesimal increase in the number of people who would be added because of the bill.
As the New York delegation tries to win support from the White House and in Congress, we assume it will be much easier to convince naysayers to go along with health care for police officers, firefighters and other recovery workers because of natural and understandable sympathy.
We think health money for residents and office workers affected by the attack will be a much harder sell. Somewhere down the road there may be a hard-to-resist temptation to compromise and cut residents and office workers out of the bill in order to get it passed. Clinton, Nadler and the other co-sponsors should resist this temptation and make sure no one is sacrificed.
As Nadler told us a few weeks ago, one of the obstacles to passage will be the level of proof needed to receive the benefits. Whether you are talking about a firefighter who breathed the air from the toxic fires 12 hours a day for months or a Downtown family that to this day has toxic chemicals in hidden areas of their apartment, it is difficult to prove the cause of any respiratory ailments with medical certainty. Autopsies may be helpful in terms of proof, but are of course useless in those cases because you can’t provide medical care retroactively.
Congress is right to be concerned about evidence. A program that is so lenient that almost any New Yorker who develops certain ailments or cancers can finagle a way in would be a misuse of public money and unfair to most Americans, who either have no health insurance or struggle to pay for it. But a program that excluded residents and workers who likely have health problems because of the attack would be equally unacceptable. The proponents of the bill should work now to draft acceptable language on evidence and eligibility.
There are more than 2,749 victims of the attack Downtown. Just because some don’t know it yet does not mean they can be ignored when they discover the unfortunate truth.
http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_194/editorial.html
Volume 19 Issue 37 | January 26 - February 1, 2007
Like far too many other self-sacrificing men and women who searched for bodies at the World Trade Center site in 2001 and 2002, Police Officer Cesar Borja, 52, developed an illness that almost certainly was related to the toxic chemicals released into the air as a result of the collapse of the Twin Towers. The day before, Ceasar Borja, 21, the officer’s son, came to the site asking the president and Congress for money to provide health care for his father and thousands of others who are suffering because of the attack. He was in Washington lobbying with Sen. Hillary Clinton when he learned of his father’s death.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to the Borja family.
Clinton, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler and others in Congress are pushing for $1.9 billion to continue a health program for 9/11 recovery workers. They also have a bill that would provide Medicare coverage to workers and residents who can demonstrate health damage related to the attack.
It is essential both bills are passed. Medicare, one of the largest and most efficient programs in the history of government, should be able to easily absorb the infinitesimal increase in the number of people who would be added because of the bill.
As the New York delegation tries to win support from the White House and in Congress, we assume it will be much easier to convince naysayers to go along with health care for police officers, firefighters and other recovery workers because of natural and understandable sympathy.
We think health money for residents and office workers affected by the attack will be a much harder sell. Somewhere down the road there may be a hard-to-resist temptation to compromise and cut residents and office workers out of the bill in order to get it passed. Clinton, Nadler and the other co-sponsors should resist this temptation and make sure no one is sacrificed.
As Nadler told us a few weeks ago, one of the obstacles to passage will be the level of proof needed to receive the benefits. Whether you are talking about a firefighter who breathed the air from the toxic fires 12 hours a day for months or a Downtown family that to this day has toxic chemicals in hidden areas of their apartment, it is difficult to prove the cause of any respiratory ailments with medical certainty. Autopsies may be helpful in terms of proof, but are of course useless in those cases because you can’t provide medical care retroactively.
Congress is right to be concerned about evidence. A program that is so lenient that almost any New Yorker who develops certain ailments or cancers can finagle a way in would be a misuse of public money and unfair to most Americans, who either have no health insurance or struggle to pay for it. But a program that excluded residents and workers who likely have health problems because of the attack would be equally unacceptable. The proponents of the bill should work now to draft acceptable language on evidence and eligibility.
There are more than 2,749 victims of the attack Downtown. Just because some don’t know it yet does not mean they can be ignored when they discover the unfortunate truth.
James A. Henderson Jr. appointed 'special master' in 9/11 respiratory illness cases
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan07/9.11.illnesses.html
1/26/2007
New York City is facing a number of lawsuits regarding lingering respiratory illnesses that many workers and rescue personnel claim result from working on the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Studies by such organizations as Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have agreed that the hazardous conditions at the site can be the source of these illnesses.
To investigate the legal cases, Cornell Law School professor James A. Henderson Jr. has been appointed by Southern District Judge Alvin Hellerstein as a special master, along with Aaron D. Twerski, dean of the Hofstra University School of Law.
"Professor Henderson is an obvious choice for special master insofar as he is one of the leading thinkers in tort law," says Michael Heise, professor of law at the Cornell Law School. "His first-rate scholarship draws on a deep reservoir of knowledge, experience, judgment and creative thinking, all of which will assist the judge in the difficult task before him."
Henderson and Twerski have been asked to make an undisputed list of the cases and to categorize them to help organize the legal process. In appointing the two legal experts, Hellerstein mentioned in particular their impartiality and unparalleled skills.
Experts in the field of mass tort litigation, they have written texts and law review articles together, including "Cases and Materials on the Law of Torts" in 2003.
Henderson has an A.B. from Princeton University and an LL.B. and LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He clerked for the Hon. Warren L. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and then taught at Boston University Law School for 20 years before, in 1984, joining Cornell Law School, where he is the Frank B. Ingersoll Professor of Law. His scholarship and teaching addresses theoretical, practical and process concerns in the fields of products liability and torts. In addition to serving as the co-reporter of the American Law Institute's revision of the products liability portions of the "Restatement of the Law of Torts from 1992-1998," Henderson has testified extensively on torts, products liability and insurance before the U.S. Senate and House, as well as before numerous state legislatures.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan07/9.11.illnesses.html
1/26/2007
New York City is facing a number of lawsuits regarding lingering respiratory illnesses that many workers and rescue personnel claim result from working on the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Studies by such organizations as Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have agreed that the hazardous conditions at the site can be the source of these illnesses.
To investigate the legal cases, Cornell Law School professor James A. Henderson Jr. has been appointed by Southern District Judge Alvin Hellerstein as a special master, along with Aaron D. Twerski, dean of the Hofstra University School of Law.
"Professor Henderson is an obvious choice for special master insofar as he is one of the leading thinkers in tort law," says Michael Heise, professor of law at the Cornell Law School. "His first-rate scholarship draws on a deep reservoir of knowledge, experience, judgment and creative thinking, all of which will assist the judge in the difficult task before him."
Henderson and Twerski have been asked to make an undisputed list of the cases and to categorize them to help organize the legal process. In appointing the two legal experts, Hellerstein mentioned in particular their impartiality and unparalleled skills.
Experts in the field of mass tort litigation, they have written texts and law review articles together, including "Cases and Materials on the Law of Torts" in 2003.
Henderson has an A.B. from Princeton University and an LL.B. and LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He clerked for the Hon. Warren L. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and then taught at Boston University Law School for 20 years before, in 1984, joining Cornell Law School, where he is the Frank B. Ingersoll Professor of Law. His scholarship and teaching addresses theoretical, practical and process concerns in the fields of products liability and torts. In addition to serving as the co-reporter of the American Law Institute's revision of the products liability portions of the "Restatement of the Law of Torts from 1992-1998," Henderson has testified extensively on torts, products liability and insurance before the U.S. Senate and House, as well as before numerous state legislatures.
9/11 autopsy guidelines plan scuttled
http://www.amny.com/news/local/groundzero/am-wtc1119,0,5068269.story
By LARRY McSHANE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
An effort to create standardized autopsy guidelines that could document the link between toxic air at ground zero and the later deaths of 9/11 rescue workers was abandoned by the federal government over concerns that the information collected could be misinterpreted.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, in a note posted Friday on its web site, said the agency "instead will pursue other avenues for documenting long-term health effects from exposure to air contaminants from the World Trade Center disaster."
The proposal for standard autopsy guidelines was laid out by the institute in a Sept. 15 draft document that was subsequently reviewed by medical experts outside the federal government. The decision to scratch the autopsy plan came after the experts raised questions about whether the plan would work.
"This study has many insurmountable barriers to overcome," wrote Dr. David J. Prezant, chief medical officer for the city Fire Department. Prezant, whose review was also posted on the institute web site, said one of those barriers was the "politics of causality," a reference to pending lawsuits filed against the city by injured workers. Autopsy results are often used in civil suits.
The institute said reviewers had raised several questions about the program, including concerns that "the draft document could be misinterpreted or misapplied, hindering rather than furthering progress in addressing WTC health concerns." The independent reviews were complete on Oct. 31, according to the institute.
The draft had proposed examining specific sections of the lungs, along with the creation of a "tissue bank" to preserve certain organs and bodily fluids for later testing. But the agency ultimately decided to look for another method to reduce "uncertainties in assessing WTC health effects."
The five-paragraph web site statement contained no specific alternatives.
The collapse of the twin towers sent thick plumes of concrete dust, fiberglass, asbestos and lead into the air in lower Manhattan. The tainted air was taken in by thousands of ground zero workers in the weeks after the terrorist attack that killed 2,749 people.
The guidelines were intended to be used nationwide in cases like the death of New York City police detective James Zadroga, who died last January. Zadroga spent 470 hours working amid the toxic fumes, and fell ill within weeks.
An autopsy found the 34-year-old detective died as a result of ground zero exposure, finding that there was material "consistent with dust" found in his lungs.
http://www.amny.com/news/local/groundzero/am-wtc1119,0,5068269.story
By LARRY McSHANE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
An effort to create standardized autopsy guidelines that could document the link between toxic air at ground zero and the later deaths of 9/11 rescue workers was abandoned by the federal government over concerns that the information collected could be misinterpreted.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, in a note posted Friday on its web site, said the agency "instead will pursue other avenues for documenting long-term health effects from exposure to air contaminants from the World Trade Center disaster."
The proposal for standard autopsy guidelines was laid out by the institute in a Sept. 15 draft document that was subsequently reviewed by medical experts outside the federal government. The decision to scratch the autopsy plan came after the experts raised questions about whether the plan would work.
"This study has many insurmountable barriers to overcome," wrote Dr. David J. Prezant, chief medical officer for the city Fire Department. Prezant, whose review was also posted on the institute web site, said one of those barriers was the "politics of causality," a reference to pending lawsuits filed against the city by injured workers. Autopsy results are often used in civil suits.
The institute said reviewers had raised several questions about the program, including concerns that "the draft document could be misinterpreted or misapplied, hindering rather than furthering progress in addressing WTC health concerns." The independent reviews were complete on Oct. 31, according to the institute.
The draft had proposed examining specific sections of the lungs, along with the creation of a "tissue bank" to preserve certain organs and bodily fluids for later testing. But the agency ultimately decided to look for another method to reduce "uncertainties in assessing WTC health effects."
The five-paragraph web site statement contained no specific alternatives.
The collapse of the twin towers sent thick plumes of concrete dust, fiberglass, asbestos and lead into the air in lower Manhattan. The tainted air was taken in by thousands of ground zero workers in the weeks after the terrorist attack that killed 2,749 people.
The guidelines were intended to be used nationwide in cases like the death of New York City police detective James Zadroga, who died last January. Zadroga spent 470 hours working amid the toxic fumes, and fell ill within weeks.
An autopsy found the 34-year-old detective died as a result of ground zero exposure, finding that there was material "consistent with dust" found in his lungs.
9/11 Officer Remembered At Queens Funeral
http://www.wnbc.com/news/10860649/detail.html
POSTED: 6:49 pm EST January 27, 2007
UPDATED: 7:02 pm EST January 27, 2007
NEW YORK -- A city police officer who died five years after working 16-hour shifts amid the toxic debris of ground zero was remembered Saturday at a Queens funeral where family and friends said their final farewells.
But the Mass for Cesar Borja was also a reminder of the growing number of Sept. 11 first responders reporting health problems, an issue that has politicians from Sen. Hillary Clinton to Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggesting the rescue workers deserve compensation.
Borja, who was awaiting a lung transplant, died Tuesday just hours before his son Ceasar attended President Bush's State of the Union address as a guest of Clinton. Ceasar, 21, hopes to meet with Bush to discuss the ongoing health problems of workers who spent time in the World Trade Center rubble after the terrorist attack.
The elder Borja's body was brought into St. Josaphat's Church in the Bayside area by a police honor guard on a brisk winter morning. The officers carried his flag-draped casket into the church as police bagpipers played and one family member collapsed in tears.
"It's so sad, but we are proud for him," said family friend Alicia Orca before the hour-long service began.
Cesar Borja, 52, worked double-shifts three times a week at ground zero, according to his son. The 20-year veteran developed the "World Trade Center cough" shortly after retiring in 2003, and his condition deteriorated until his death from pulmonary fibrosis, the son said.
Clinton and other New York lawmakers have asked Bush to include money in the national budget to treat and monitor thousands of people who say they developed respiratory and other illnesses after working at the World Trade Center site.
http://www.wnbc.com/news/10860649/detail.html
POSTED: 6:49 pm EST January 27, 2007
UPDATED: 7:02 pm EST January 27, 2007
NEW YORK -- A city police officer who died five years after working 16-hour shifts amid the toxic debris of ground zero was remembered Saturday at a Queens funeral where family and friends said their final farewells.
But the Mass for Cesar Borja was also a reminder of the growing number of Sept. 11 first responders reporting health problems, an issue that has politicians from Sen. Hillary Clinton to Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggesting the rescue workers deserve compensation.
Borja, who was awaiting a lung transplant, died Tuesday just hours before his son Ceasar attended President Bush's State of the Union address as a guest of Clinton. Ceasar, 21, hopes to meet with Bush to discuss the ongoing health problems of workers who spent time in the World Trade Center rubble after the terrorist attack.
The elder Borja's body was brought into St. Josaphat's Church in the Bayside area by a police honor guard on a brisk winter morning. The officers carried his flag-draped casket into the church as police bagpipers played and one family member collapsed in tears.
"It's so sad, but we are proud for him," said family friend Alicia Orca before the hour-long service began.
Cesar Borja, 52, worked double-shifts three times a week at ground zero, according to his son. The 20-year veteran developed the "World Trade Center cough" shortly after retiring in 2003, and his condition deteriorated until his death from pulmonary fibrosis, the son said.
Clinton and other New York lawmakers have asked Bush to include money in the national budget to treat and monitor thousands of people who say they developed respiratory and other illnesses after working at the World Trade Center site.
Mayor: Government should establish fund for 9/11 workers
Bloomberg says payment should be offered for those succumbing to poisonous air they inhaled at Ground Zero
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1169891116279160.xml&coll=1
By HEIDI J. SHRAGER
Saturday, January 27, 2007
The federal government should establish a compensation fund modeled on the now-defunct September 11 Victim Compensation Fund for the scores of 9/11 workers who are succumbing to the poisonous air they inhaled in the recovery effort at Ground Zero, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday.
"We want the feds to give us what we had before, a compensation fund, where we can compensate people who have diseases that were caused by their time down at the World Trade Center site when the air obviously was not clean," Bloomberg said on WABC radio. "It no longer exists -- we really could use the money to do it again."
The Victim Compensation Fund doled out more than $7 billion to about 5,500 people with death and injury claims before it stopped taking claims on Dec. 22, 2003.
In a New York Times Op-Ed piece last month, the fund special master, Kenneth Feinberg, wrote that more than 1,300 of recipients were workers suffering from the same respiratory illnesses that have emerged in thousands of people since 2003. Those workers got a combined $500 million.
Feinberg also said $1.5 billion would be enough to settle all claims if a similar fund were created.
But in a response letter printed in The New York Times the following week, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan/Queens) and Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) said compensation costs would far exceed $1.5 billion. The federal government estimates that 50,000 people flocked to Ground Zero to help in the wake of the attacks.
The mayor included the federal funding request in his preliminary budget for fiscal 2008, which he unveiled Thursday, but did not specify an amount.
Bloomberg also supports two companion bills introduced in the Senate and House last year; the first would reopen the Victim Compensation Fund and the second would provide medical monitoring and health insurance to all who were exposed to the toxic cloud from the towers' collapse. The House bills were co-sponsored by Fossella and Ms. Maloney.
Meanwhile, the city Law Department is battling federal negligence lawsuits filed by roughly 6,000 sick municipal workers claiming the city is liable because it failed to provide them with sufficient protective gear from dust and fumes. The city denies liability and says it did provide adequate protection.
Heidi J. Shrager covers City Hall for the Advance. She may be reached at [email protected].
Bloomberg says payment should be offered for those succumbing to poisonous air they inhaled at Ground Zero
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1169891116279160.xml&coll=1
By HEIDI J. SHRAGER
Saturday, January 27, 2007
The federal government should establish a compensation fund modeled on the now-defunct September 11 Victim Compensation Fund for the scores of 9/11 workers who are succumbing to the poisonous air they inhaled in the recovery effort at Ground Zero, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday.
"We want the feds to give us what we had before, a compensation fund, where we can compensate people who have diseases that were caused by their time down at the World Trade Center site when the air obviously was not clean," Bloomberg said on WABC radio. "It no longer exists -- we really could use the money to do it again."
The Victim Compensation Fund doled out more than $7 billion to about 5,500 people with death and injury claims before it stopped taking claims on Dec. 22, 2003.
In a New York Times Op-Ed piece last month, the fund special master, Kenneth Feinberg, wrote that more than 1,300 of recipients were workers suffering from the same respiratory illnesses that have emerged in thousands of people since 2003. Those workers got a combined $500 million.
Feinberg also said $1.5 billion would be enough to settle all claims if a similar fund were created.
But in a response letter printed in The New York Times the following week, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan/Queens) and Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) said compensation costs would far exceed $1.5 billion. The federal government estimates that 50,000 people flocked to Ground Zero to help in the wake of the attacks.
The mayor included the federal funding request in his preliminary budget for fiscal 2008, which he unveiled Thursday, but did not specify an amount.
Bloomberg also supports two companion bills introduced in the Senate and House last year; the first would reopen the Victim Compensation Fund and the second would provide medical monitoring and health insurance to all who were exposed to the toxic cloud from the towers' collapse. The House bills were co-sponsored by Fossella and Ms. Maloney.
Meanwhile, the city Law Department is battling federal negligence lawsuits filed by roughly 6,000 sick municipal workers claiming the city is liable because it failed to provide them with sufficient protective gear from dust and fumes. The city denies liability and says it did provide adequate protection.
Heidi J. Shrager covers City Hall for the Advance. She may be reached at [email protected].
1ST STUDY FOR 9/11 TOXIC TOLL
N.Y.: IT MAY BE 100+
http://www.nypost.com/seven/0128200..._11_toxic_toll_regionalnews_susan_edelman.htm
By SUSAN EDELMAN
January 28, 2007 -- The state has launched the first study of deaths among World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers - a grim toll that now exceeds 100, officials told The Post.
With a $165,000 federal grant from 9/11 health czar John Howard, the state is contributing at least twice that in staff and resources to study what killed the cops, firefighters and other workers who have died after searching for survivors or helping in the cleanup.
"We want to know about every death, so we can evaluate any patterns with fatalities," said Kitty Gelber, chief epidemiologist with the state Bureau of Occupational Health. "People need to let us know who was there and who died."
So far, the study has listed "over 100 deaths," Gelber said. The names were culled from the city's WTC health registry, labor unions and news reports, she said.
The study is now seeking data from the WTC medical monitoring program at Mount Sinai Hospital, the FDNY, medical examiners, and a class-action lawsuit for 9,000 Ground Zero workers.
About 95 workers - mostly cops and firefighters - have died of respiratory illness, heart failure or cancer, said lawyer David Worby.
The state has yet to determine the causes of the 100-plus deaths it has identified. Several may involve car crashes or suicides, but all are of interest, Gelber said.
The goal is to detect trends to help doctors monitor, test and treat 9/11 workers.
"Let us learn what we can to get the treatment as good as possible now," Gelber said.
The study will gather each worker's medical records before and after 9/11 and their time at Ground Zero or the Fresh Kills landfill or on trucks and barges that moved debris. Researchers will also interview relatives.
"While some have attributed a number of deaths to work at the WTC site, the medical link to those fatalities has not been established," said a city Law Department spokeswoman. "We must be very careful not to reach conclusions in advance of scientific and medical proof. The claim that over 90 workers have died is simply unsupported."
To report the death of a WTC responder, call toll free statewide: (866) 807- 2130 or (518) 402-7900. The e-mail address is wtcfatality@health. state.ny.us.
N.Y.: IT MAY BE 100+
http://www.nypost.com/seven/0128200..._11_toxic_toll_regionalnews_susan_edelman.htm
By SUSAN EDELMAN
January 28, 2007 -- The state has launched the first study of deaths among World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers - a grim toll that now exceeds 100, officials told The Post.
With a $165,000 federal grant from 9/11 health czar John Howard, the state is contributing at least twice that in staff and resources to study what killed the cops, firefighters and other workers who have died after searching for survivors or helping in the cleanup.
"We want to know about every death, so we can evaluate any patterns with fatalities," said Kitty Gelber, chief epidemiologist with the state Bureau of Occupational Health. "People need to let us know who was there and who died."
So far, the study has listed "over 100 deaths," Gelber said. The names were culled from the city's WTC health registry, labor unions and news reports, she said.
The study is now seeking data from the WTC medical monitoring program at Mount Sinai Hospital, the FDNY, medical examiners, and a class-action lawsuit for 9,000 Ground Zero workers.
About 95 workers - mostly cops and firefighters - have died of respiratory illness, heart failure or cancer, said lawyer David Worby.
The state has yet to determine the causes of the 100-plus deaths it has identified. Several may involve car crashes or suicides, but all are of interest, Gelber said.
The goal is to detect trends to help doctors monitor, test and treat 9/11 workers.
"Let us learn what we can to get the treatment as good as possible now," Gelber said.
The study will gather each worker's medical records before and after 9/11 and their time at Ground Zero or the Fresh Kills landfill or on trucks and barges that moved debris. Researchers will also interview relatives.
"While some have attributed a number of deaths to work at the WTC site, the medical link to those fatalities has not been established," said a city Law Department spokeswoman. "We must be very careful not to reach conclusions in advance of scientific and medical proof. The claim that over 90 workers have died is simply unsupported."
To report the death of a WTC responder, call toll free statewide: (866) 807- 2130 or (518) 402-7900. The e-mail address is wtcfatality@health. state.ny.us.
Lawmakers Want Sickened First-Responders In 9/11 Memorial
http://www.ktvu.com/news/10865275/detail.html
POSTED: 1:55 pm PST January 28, 2007
NEW YORK -- The museum planned for ground zero should include a memorial to workers who died after becoming ill during recovery and cleanup of World Trade Center debris, two state lawmakers said Sunday.
Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, and Republican Sen. Martin Golden of Brooklyn said they would introduce legislation in Albany to ensure those workers are recognized.
"We want to tell the story of the 9/11 workers who rushed here to help put the city back on its feet, who got sick because they did that, and now unfortunately many of them have died," Gianaris said at a news conference attended by ailing first responders and family members.
The Bush administration, along with state and local governments, have been criticized for being slow to acknowledge that many people developed debilitating illnesses from exposure to toxic materials at ground zero.
Golden said a full accounting of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks would have to include the effects on the health of first-responders and others who toiled at the trade center debris pile.
The event came a day after the funeral of police officer Cesar Borja, 58, who died of lung disease believed to have resulted from ground zero recovery activity.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/10865275/detail.html
POSTED: 1:55 pm PST January 28, 2007
NEW YORK -- The museum planned for ground zero should include a memorial to workers who died after becoming ill during recovery and cleanup of World Trade Center debris, two state lawmakers said Sunday.
Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, and Republican Sen. Martin Golden of Brooklyn said they would introduce legislation in Albany to ensure those workers are recognized.
"We want to tell the story of the 9/11 workers who rushed here to help put the city back on its feet, who got sick because they did that, and now unfortunately many of them have died," Gianaris said at a news conference attended by ailing first responders and family members.
The Bush administration, along with state and local governments, have been criticized for being slow to acknowledge that many people developed debilitating illnesses from exposure to toxic materials at ground zero.
Golden said a full accounting of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks would have to include the effects on the health of first-responders and others who toiled at the trade center debris pile.
The event came a day after the funeral of police officer Cesar Borja, 58, who died of lung disease believed to have resulted from ground zero recovery activity.
New York Sen. Clinton asks Bush to meet with Sept. 11 cop's son
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1170111261219950.xml&storylist=simetro
The Associated Press
1/29/2007, 5:46 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton asked President Bush on Monday to meet with the son of a Sept. 11 police officer who recently died after a long battle with lung problems.
Clinton, D-N.Y., made her request in a letter two days before the president is scheduled to visit New York for a speech to the Association for a Better New York.
The senator's letter centers on the case of former New York Police Department Officer Cesar Borja. The 52-year-old died Jan. 23 just as his son, 21-year-old college student Ceasar Borja Jr., was preparing to attend Bush's State of the Union address.
The young man was Clinton's guest at the speech.
Hours after learning of his father's death due to pulmonary fibrosis, the younger Borja decided to attend the speech as a way to honor his father and bring attention to those who are still sick many years after working at the demolished World Trade Center site.
A day after the speech, he publicly asked for a meeting with the president to tell him about the health problems of ground zero workers.
Clinton, a presidential contender, wrote to Bush urging him to agree to meet Borja.
"While you are in New York City, I ask that you accept the request of Ceasar Borja Jr. to meet with you," she wrote, calling the son "one of so many whose lives have been changed by the devastating health effects of 9/11."
The senator, who has offered legislation that would pay $1.9 billion for health care treatment for sick Sept. 11 workers, said Borja's case is one example of the needs of many more ground zero responders.
"People are still carrying incredible burdens in the aftermath of 9/11," she wrote.
A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1170111261219950.xml&storylist=simetro
The Associated Press
1/29/2007, 5:46 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton asked President Bush on Monday to meet with the son of a Sept. 11 police officer who recently died after a long battle with lung problems.
Clinton, D-N.Y., made her request in a letter two days before the president is scheduled to visit New York for a speech to the Association for a Better New York.
The senator's letter centers on the case of former New York Police Department Officer Cesar Borja. The 52-year-old died Jan. 23 just as his son, 21-year-old college student Ceasar Borja Jr., was preparing to attend Bush's State of the Union address.
The young man was Clinton's guest at the speech.
Hours after learning of his father's death due to pulmonary fibrosis, the younger Borja decided to attend the speech as a way to honor his father and bring attention to those who are still sick many years after working at the demolished World Trade Center site.
A day after the speech, he publicly asked for a meeting with the president to tell him about the health problems of ground zero workers.
Clinton, a presidential contender, wrote to Bush urging him to agree to meet Borja.
"While you are in New York City, I ask that you accept the request of Ceasar Borja Jr. to meet with you," she wrote, calling the son "one of so many whose lives have been changed by the devastating health effects of 9/11."
The senator, who has offered legislation that would pay $1.9 billion for health care treatment for sick Sept. 11 workers, said Borja's case is one example of the needs of many more ground zero responders.
"People are still carrying incredible burdens in the aftermath of 9/11," she wrote.
A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.
Bush 'Hopeful' of Meeting with Son of Dead NYPD Cop
Former NYPD officer Cesar Borja died Jan. 23. He had been fighting a sever lung disease, which his family believes he contracted by working at Ground Zero. His son attended the President's State of the Union.
http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/...n=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Created: Monday, 29 Jan 2007, 8:53 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House said late Monday that President Bush might meet in two days with a New York college student whose father recently died from what some believe was a Sept. 11-caused illness.
"The president is hopeful that a meeting can be arranged when he is in New York this week," White House spokesman Alex Conant said.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., had asked Bush on Monday to meet with Ceasar Borja Jr., the son of a Sept. 11 police officer who died last week after a long battle with lung problems. She made her request in a letter two days before the president is scheduled to visit New York for a speech to the Association for a Better New York.
The senator's letter centers on the case of former New York Police Department Officer Cesar Borja. The 52-year-old died Jan. 23 just as his 21-year-old son was preparing to attend Bush's State of the Union address.
The young man was Clinton 's guest at the speech.
Just hours after learning of his father's death due to pulmonary fibrosis, the younger Borja decided to go ahead and attend the speech as a way to honor his father and bring attention to those who are still sick many years after working at the demolished World Trade Center site.
A day after the speech, he publicly asked for a meeting with the president to tell him about the health problems of ground zero workers.
Clinton, a presidential contender, wrote to Bush urging him to agree to meet Borja.
"While you are in New York City , I ask that you accept the request of Ceasar Borja Jr. to meet with you," she wrote, calling the son "one of so many whose lives have been changed by the devastating health effects of 9/11."
The senator, who has offered legislation that would pay $1.9 billion for health care treatment for sick Sept. 11 workers, said Borja's case is one example of the needs of many more ground zero responders.
Former NYPD officer Cesar Borja died Jan. 23. He had been fighting a sever lung disease, which his family believes he contracted by working at Ground Zero. His son attended the President's State of the Union.
http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/...n=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Created: Monday, 29 Jan 2007, 8:53 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House said late Monday that President Bush might meet in two days with a New York college student whose father recently died from what some believe was a Sept. 11-caused illness.
"The president is hopeful that a meeting can be arranged when he is in New York this week," White House spokesman Alex Conant said.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., had asked Bush on Monday to meet with Ceasar Borja Jr., the son of a Sept. 11 police officer who died last week after a long battle with lung problems. She made her request in a letter two days before the president is scheduled to visit New York for a speech to the Association for a Better New York.
The senator's letter centers on the case of former New York Police Department Officer Cesar Borja. The 52-year-old died Jan. 23 just as his 21-year-old son was preparing to attend Bush's State of the Union address.
The young man was Clinton 's guest at the speech.
Just hours after learning of his father's death due to pulmonary fibrosis, the younger Borja decided to go ahead and attend the speech as a way to honor his father and bring attention to those who are still sick many years after working at the demolished World Trade Center site.
A day after the speech, he publicly asked for a meeting with the president to tell him about the health problems of ground zero workers.
Clinton, a presidential contender, wrote to Bush urging him to agree to meet Borja.
"While you are in New York City , I ask that you accept the request of Ceasar Borja Jr. to meet with you," she wrote, calling the son "one of so many whose lives have been changed by the devastating health effects of 9/11."
The senator, who has offered legislation that would pay $1.9 billion for health care treatment for sick Sept. 11 workers, said Borja's case is one example of the needs of many more ground zero responders.