On September 1, 2026, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore released the City’s World Trade Center 25-Year Health Impact Report, the most comprehensive look yet at how September 11, 2001, and the World Trade Center rescue and recovery effort continue to affect the firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, officers, civilians, and retirees who responded that day and in the weeks and months that followed. It is the fourth edition of the department’s health impacts report, building on prior studies released over the past 25 years.
Produced by the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), the report draws on a quarter-century of medical monitoring, treatment, and research. Its findings are a sobering reminder that, twenty-five years later, the health consequences of 9/11 toxic dust exposure are still unfolding, and that continued monitoring and care remain essential for the responders and survivors who were there.
“Twenty-five years ago, FDNY members ran toward danger on our city’s darkest day and returned to Ground Zero day after day to help our city recover. We honor their bravery, sacrifice and selflessness not only with our words, but through our actions. Today, more than 10,000 FDNY members are living with a 9/11-related illness. Our obligation to them and their families did not end when the fires were extinguished or when the rubble was cleared.” — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani
More Than 10,000 FDNY Members Are Living With a 9/11-Related Illness
Among the report’s most significant findings, more than 10,000 FDNY members are now certified with at least one 9/11-related physical health condition. Specifically, 10,562 members are certified for a physical condition such as lower respiratory disease, upper respiratory disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which has become one of the most commonly certified conditions among the 9/11 community.
The numbers reflect what advocates and medical providers have long understood: exposure to the toxins released during 9/11, including asbestos, lead, glass fibers, and other harmful materials, has driven high rates of respiratory illness, cancer, and digestive disease among those who worked at Ground Zero and in Lower Manhattan.
Cancer Certifications Continue to Climb
According to the report, 4,257 FDNY WTCHP members currently hold a cancer certification. The most common cancer among members has been nonmelanoma skin cancer, followed by prostate cancer.
There is, however, an encouraging finding within the data. The report notes that 86% of World Trade Center responders diagnosed with cancer are alive five years after diagnosis, compared with 63% of New York State residents who were not exposed to the World Trade Center and were diagnosed with the same cancers. Commissioner Bonsignore has credited the program’s aggressive monitoring, which leads to earlier diagnosis and earlier treatment, with producing these outcomes.
This survival gap underscores the value of early detection and continued medical monitoring, which the WTCHP has provided to enrolled members for the last 25 years.
The Mental Health Toll Remains Significant
The report also documents the lasting psychological impact of 9/11. A total of 4,496 FDNY members are certified for at least one mental health condition. Encouragingly, the number of members reporting symptoms of PTSD and depression has decreased since the initial post-9/11 period, a finding that speaks to the importance of integrated care that treats exposure-related mental and physical health conditions together.
Why This Research Matters for Every 9/11 Survivor
The data collected through the FDNY WTCHP has done more than track the health of firefighters and first responders. It has helped document the long-term consequences of World Trade Center exposure for the entire 9/11 community and demonstrated, again and again, the need for continued federal support.
That research helped inform Congress as it authorized the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010, reauthorized the program in 2015, and secured full lifetime funding in 2026 to ensure the WTCHP can continue caring for responders and survivors for the rest of their lives. In other words, the evidence gathered from FDNY members has strengthened the very programs that protect all eligible responders, recovery workers, residents, and survivors, not only firefighters.
The report also highlights a striking level of continued engagement: more than 84% of enrolled responders are still participating in the FDNY WTCHP after 25 years. That ongoing participation is exactly what makes early diagnosis and effective treatment possible.
Beyond the FDNY: Cancer Among Survivors Is Surging
While the FDNY report focuses specifically on department members, it is important to understand that these firefighters, EMTs, and officers represent only one part of the much larger 9/11 community. The broader World Trade Center Health Program also serves tens of thousands of survivors — the residents, workers, and students who lived, worked, or attended school in Lower Manhattan and were exposed to the same toxic dust. Recent program-wide data show that this population is now facing a cancer crisis of its own.
As reported by the New York Post at the end of August 2026, figures compiled by the WTC Health Program show that cancer certifications among survivors, downtown Manhattan residents, and workers near Ground Zero climbed from 3,204 in 2015 to 57,044 in 2026 — an increase of roughly 1,680% over the past decade. For the first time, the number of cancer cases among survivors has surpassed the number among first responders, with survivors now accounting for slightly more of the total than the responder population.
Across the entire program, the numbers are striking. Roughly 67% of the WTC Health Program’s approximately 145,000 members are certified for at least one of the 69 cancers linked to 9/11 toxins. The data also reflect a rise in rarer forms of the disease, including cases of male breast cancer, brain cancer, thymus cancer, and neuroendocrine cancers, some of which have grown measurably in just the past quarter.
Public health experts attribute much of this surge to the advancing age of the exposed population — many survivors and responders are now in their late 50s, 60s, and early 70s, the years when cancer risk naturally rises and when the long latency period for many 9/11-related cancers reaches its end.
Perhaps most concerning, advocates estimate that only a small fraction of eligible civilians — by some accounts around 15% — have actually enrolled in the WTC Health Program. That means many survivors who are entitled to free medical monitoring and treatment, and who may be eligible for compensation, have not yet taken the first step. If you lived, worked, or went to school in the 9/11 exposure zone, enrolling in the WTCHP is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health, even if you feel well today.
The Human Cost Continues to Grow
The report arrives as a solemn milestone approaches. On September 11, 2001, 343 FDNY members lost their lives. In the 25 years since, hundreds more members have died from illnesses linked to the toxins they were exposed to during the rescue and recovery effort. As Commissioner Bonsignore has said, 9/11 was not a one-day event for the department; it remains a day that continues to sicken its members. This ongoing toll is precisely why the report’s authors stress early and continued health monitoring paired with integrated care.
New Diagnoses Can Still Emerge Decades Later
Perhaps the most important lesson of the 25-year report is that the health effects of 9/11 do not stop at any anniversary. Cancers and other serious conditions can develop many years after exposure, which is why responders and survivors are encouraged to remain enrolled in the WTCHP and to seek medical monitoring even if they currently feel healthy.
If you develop a new illness later in life, it does not erase the impact of your 9/11 exposure or your right to seek help. Both the WTCHP and the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) exist to make sure those who were exposed receive the care and compensation they deserve.
Talk to a Lawyer About Your 9/11 Benefits
At Pitta & Baione LLP, we believe our obligation to the 9/11 community does not end when the headlines fade. As New Yorkers ourselves, we understand the long shadow that September 11 cast over the health and well-being of our neighbors, from FDNY members and other first responders to the residents and workers of Lower Manhattan.
If you were present south of Houston Street between September 11, 2001, and July 31, 2002, or if you responded to Ground Zero, you may be eligible for benefits and compensation. Contact us for a free review to see how we may be able to help you pursue WTCHP certification and a VCF claim.
