25 years on, 9/11 survivors still getting sick—over 9,400 deaths from related illnesses

A quarter-century after the 9/11 attacks, more than 150,000 survivors and first responders are monitored by the World Trade Center Health Program, which has documented over 139,000 health conditions. Over 9,400 people have died from 9/11-related illnesses—three times the number killed on the day—per ABC News and Scientific American.

Bottom line — 9,400+ deaths from 9/11 illnesses recorded, with 50,000 certified cancer diagnoses per the WTC Health Program.

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• An estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic dust, smoke and debris at Ground Zero, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per Scientific American.
• As of June 30, 2026, the World Trade Center Health Program had recorded more than 139,000 health conditions among over 150,000 survivors and first responders, per Scientific American.
• Cancers made up about 71% of conditions recorded in the past 12 months—mostly nonmelanoma skin, prostate and breast cancers, but also rarer types like brain, testicular and leukemia, per Scientific American.
• At least 69 cancers are certified as linked to 9/11, along with airway, digestive and mental health conditions, per ABC News.
• The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, signed in 2011 and reauthorized in 2019, provides health monitoring and aid to affected individuals through 2090, per ABC News.
• New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani this week made public over 170,000 pages of documents—including the Harding Memo, an October 2001 memo indicating city officials knew about air quality dangers yet declared the air safe, per ABC News.
• First responders and survivors interviewed by ABC News—including firefighter Michael O'Connell, NYPD sergeant Thomas Wilson and EMT Ivonne Sanchez—all said they would still respond to Ground Zero despite their illnesses.

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