Some other victims...

“We’re dead men walking”: The toxic legacy of 9/11

NEW York cop Glen Klein switched shifts to go to a police union meeting on 9/11 – and cheated death in the Twin Towers attack.

Had he stuck to his normal hours, the Special Weapons And Tactics expert would have been among the 14 members of his unit who were killed in the atrocity.

But in the nine years since the al-Qaeda terror strike, Glen has had to retire from the force because of major health problems and rejects the idea that fate saved his life. In fact, he says he is a “dead man walking”.

The 52-year-old is among more than 10,000 Ground Zero workers – known as “first responders” – who are suffering from serious and even fatal illnesses after inhaling the toxic dust cloud caused by the crumbling towers.

They are the forgotten victims of the 9/11 tragedy, still fighting for justice and compensation.

Glen, who rushed to the World Trade Center straight from his meeting, recalls: “I got to the scene just after the second tower came down. I put on my gas mask that we use in hostage situations and headed into the unknown.

“The clouds of debris and dust were so thick, I knew it couldn’t have been safe. Everything was covered in debris. Officers’ blue uniforms were white. It was crazy.

"As the SWAT team we were the cops that other cops called when they couldn't handle the situation. But there was nothing we could do, the situation was horrific."

After the attack Glen spent more than 800 hours working inside the toxic cloud that hung over Ground Zero for the next six months.

He blames a string of gastro-intestinal and respiratory problems on his time at the site.

He says: "There should have been high-end suits to keep the contaminants off us, and breathing devices to keep it out of our bodies.

"We were given paper masks and respirators with the wrong cartridges.

"We were told the air quality was safe. How wrong they were."

The father-of-three adds: "I have asthma and high blood pressure and I've had pre-cancerous polyps removed from my lungs.

"I also have numerous gastrointestinal problems, and I've been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome.

"I was forced to retire from the force in 2003 after 20 years. I would get massive pains in my belly and chest, so bad that I had to be rushed into the emergency room.

Read more:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3134135/The-toxic-legacy-of-911-for-the-rescuers-who-have-been-poisoned.html