No other commercial construction project has shaped New York City’s identity quite like the original World Trade Center complex in Manhattan’s Financial District. While the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent rebuilding efforts dominate the headlines, the issue of asbestos-related disease among workers who helped construct the original Twin Towers between 1966 and 1973 remains critically important.
If you or a family member helped build the original World Trade Center complex and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please contact our New York asbestos attorneys at The Williams Law Firm, P.C. online or call (866) 459-7868 to schedule an appointment, as you may be entitled to substantial compensation.
The era in which the original World Trade Center buildings were constructed hints at the high levels of asbestos exposure in New York used to forge this 2.5-acre office park, which grew to include additional peripheral buildings beside the seminal North Tower and South Tower. During early construction, a mixture containing roughly 20 percent asbestos was sprayed onto steel beams as fireproofing insulation. By the time the Port Authority switched to an asbestos-free substitute, approximately 40 floors of the North Tower had already been coated.
Other noteworthy facts about the original Twin Towers, which were once the tallest buildings in the world:
The Twin Towers were long regarded as architecturally iconic and stood as a symbol of American ingenuity and entrepreneurship.
The scale and timing of the Twin Towers’ construction dictate that myriad asbestos-containing products went into the original World Trade Center site. Asbestos, a mineral fiber with countless industrial applications, peaked in construction and manufacturing use during the mid-twentieth century, toward the end of which government agencies began to ban asbestos due to environmental and health concerns. However, some asbestos products are still allowed, and asbestos manufacturing continues worldwide.
According to the CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program{target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”}, the collapse of the Twin Towers created massive dust clouds containing asbestos, silica, metals, concrete, and glass that blanketed hundreds of city blocks. The North Tower alone contained an estimated 300 to 400 tons of asbestos, with total estimates across the complex reaching as high as 2,000 tons.
Asbestos fibers are the sole cause of mesothelioma, a cancer of the chest and abdomen, as well as asbestosis, a disease in which asbestos fibers attack the lungs.
When the world looks back at the destruction of the original World Trade Center in 2001, among the innumerable heartbreaking images is that of chemical-laden ash blanketing the people, buildings, cars, streets, and sidewalks of Lower Manhattan. The collapse released approximately 2,000 tons of asbestos dust into the air, exposing an estimated 400,000 people to toxic contaminants.
The National Cancer Institute cites research indicating that 70 percent of 9/11 first responders suffer some form of respiratory illness as a result of their exposure to environmental toxins at Ground Zero. That same research concluded that:
In the case of mesothelioma, symptoms can take decades to surface. Workers who helped construct the original Twin Towers, as well as those involved in rescue and recovery efforts, may be entitled to financial compensation through legal claims or the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
If you or a family member helped build the original World Trade Center buildings and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please schedule a free consultation with The Williams Law Firm, P.C., or call (866) 459-7868 today. Our firm welcomes clients from Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and across the United States.
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