NEW YORK (WCBS 880) —As the Senate dithers on whether to further help sickened 9/11 first responders, new medical research finds more potential problems for those who went to the World Trade Center.
Responders at the World Trade Center are 65 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer.
"We were seeing that particularly younger men were actually getting prostate cancer, and even a more aggressive prostate cancer, than we might otherwise expect,” said Dr. William Oh, a prostate oncologist at Mount Sinai.
Looking at comparisons to non-responders and animals exposed to the toxic dust, the link became more clear.
Oh said, "The amount of exposure to these toxins that was in the World Trade Center dust may have increased the risk of getting prostate cancer and particularly a more aggressive type of prostate cancer."
Dr. Oh hopes this research will lead to new strategies for treatment.