{"id":8163,"date":"2026-09-05T15:36:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T15:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8163"},"modified":"2026-09-05T15:36:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T15:36:17","slug":"exclusive-ground-zero-toxins-spark-cruel-early-dementia-crisis-for-9-11-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8163","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Ground Zero toxins spark cruel, early dementia crisis for 9\/11 heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

America promised to \u201cnever forget\u201d the horrors of 9\/11 \u2014 but a cruel medical time bomb is forcing Ground Zero heroes to do exactly that.<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | 9\/11 families plan to ignore \u2018spiteful\u2019 Mamdani if he shows up at 25th memorial ceremony<\/a><\/p>\n

A growing body of research is connecting exposure to the toxic miasma at the World Trade Center site with early-onset dementia \u2014 with one landmark study finding severe exposure to cause a staggering 36-fold increase compared to the normal population.<\/p>\n

The number of responders showing signs of dementia is almost certain to grow with continued monitoring \u2013 and has now reached 522 out of 6002 people studied \u2013 an alarming rate of 8.7%. That\u2019s more than seven times the incidence in the general population.<\/p>\n

Lucille Fredericks, 59, thought she would never forget what she saw in Manhattan driving around the city as part of an NYPD Queens South Task Force mobile response team after Sept. 11.<\/p>\n

But these days, she\u2019s not so sure. <\/p>\n

Fredericks, 59, of Floral Park, has trouble remembering some basic tasks and concepts in her daily life \u2013 even words that are on the tip of her tongue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get real frustrated because I\u2019m trying to figure out what it is. It\u2019s there \u2013 but I can\u2019t get the right words to recall it. It gets me very frustrated,\u201d she told The Post. <\/p>\n

She noticed her memory beginning to fail after she left the force in 2005.<\/p>\n

The landmark Journal of the American Medical Association study looked at 5,010 out of about 10,000 responders on Long Island from 2014 to 2023, when the median age of 9\/11 first responders was 53. The average age of responders has now reached 59.<\/p>\n

Responders who heroically braved the dust and debris after the attacks are suffering increased incidence of cognitive problems and even dementia later in life, the research shows. <\/p>\n

The more they encountered toxic dust \u2013 often without protective gear \u2013 the worse the outcome. <\/p>\n

The study, which was funded in part by the National Institute on Aging, has identified \u201ccognitive dysfunction, cognitive decline, and widespread cerebral atrophy among severely exposed WTC responders at midlife as compared with expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pulverized toxic particles made it inside responders\u2019 brains either traveling through the nose or through the blood. The amount of exposure, and whether the responders wore protective gear, was critical.<\/p>\n

In the general population, dementia rates are about 1.19 per 1000 person-years \u2013 a collective measure. But among those with \u201clow\u201d WTC exposure, the figure more than doubles to 2.95.<\/p>\n

Among those with \u201cmild\u201d exposure, it hits 12.16. Among \u201chigh\u201d it hits 30.09, and for those with \u201csevere\u201d exposure, it goes all the way to 42.37 \u2013 a 35-fold increase from normal.<\/p>\n

Out of 5,010 responders who were analyzed in the study, there were 228 cases of dementia. \u201cMore severe exposure to dust or debris was significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia before 65 years of age,\u201d the JAMA study found.<\/p>\n

Responders taking part in the World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program at Stony Brook University are showing symptoms far earlier than the typical population. For some, it can be debilitating. For others, it causes daily struggles as they try to navigate their new lives and interact with loved ones.<\/p>\n

Fredericks says her memory problems made it harder for her to continue her education and advance in her new career as a mental health therapist for troubled youth. \u201cIt holds me back. I try to cover it up because most of my staff that I work with, they\u2019re 20, 30, 40,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The young ages at which responders\u2019 symptoms appeared have alarmed medical researchers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who are in their mid 40s or early 40s \u2013 it\u2019s extremely rare for them to develop any cognitive impairment,\u201d said Dr. Benjamin Luft, who directs the WTC monitoring program at Stony Brook.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur feeling was that there was a problem here,\u201d he said. \u201cAs time went on, there was a significant number of people whose cognitive function continued to decrease.\u00a0Today about between 3%-5% of our patients have developed what we\u2019d call dementia,\u201d he said. The program monitors about 13,000 responders overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have 3-5% of them to have dementia is very abnormal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt portends something that can really be impacted into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The WTC Health Program\u2019s new report that looked specifically at FDNY responders found that \u201ca greater proportion of FDNY members with high WTC exposure reported cognitive concerns than those with moderate or low exposure,\u201d concluding it was \u201chighly related\u201d to whether a member had PTSD.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople who developed PTSD were more likely to go on to develop cognitive impairment,\u201d noted Luft.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, researchers continue to probe the damage linked to World Trade Center dust particles that were attached to neurotoxins. The dust has been found to include Dioxyn, PCBs and heavy metals \u2014 which all can can disrupt brain function or the brain\u2019s chemical signals.<\/p>\n

The Samet family of Long Island is enduring the nightmare consequences of their father\u2019s call to duty on 9\/11.<\/p>\n

John Samet, 74, an operating engineer with the city Sanitation Department, rushed to the WTC the night of the Islamic terror attacks, and spent 18 months at Fresh Kills landfill sorting through materials in the search for remains.<\/p>\n

He developed post traumatic stress disorder, which his family links to the macabre work of sorting through debris in the search of human body parts, along with a sudden fear of going inside tunnels and subways.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe came home one day and he just fell down on the floor and started crying and freaking out and he couldn\u2019t remember anybody,\u201d daughter Tammy Samet said. He couldn\u2019t even identify a picture of his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe tried to almost jump in front of a train. And then it just progressively got worse,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Soon, Samet, was having trouble distinguishing visions from reality.<\/p>\n

His severe dementia began in 2013, she said.<\/p>\n

He forgot his wife of 56 years, Hope. <\/p>\n

He began to wander away from the home where he\u2019s lived for 50 years, including on a night when it was \u201cfreezing cold,\u201d while wearing just a T-shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe lays in bed all day so we have to fight to get him into a shower,\u201d said Tammy Samet, who lives in Alabama but has returned home to help out. \u201cHis dementia is getting worse and worse every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 9\/11 Victims Compensation Fund has provided funding to help with some of the physical ailments like cancers and mesothelioma. But it doesn\u2019t list his or other responders\u2019 mental ailments as qualifying, which puts a financial strain on the entire family.<\/p>\n

He gets anti-depressants, but they tend to make his dementia worse. He got a one-time payment of $80,000 to deal with gastrointestinal surgery, but that doesn\u2019t come close to making up for the nearly $200,000 he used to earn working for NYC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might take 20 years\u201d to get relief, Tammy said. \u201cBut in 20 years, he\u2019s going to be dead.\u00a0We need the help now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sebastian Pierini is dealing with some of those more severe symptoms identified by investigators. <\/p>\n

Back in 2001, Pierini, 60, was an officer as part of the force protecting the NY Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n

He got downtown just as the second tower came down and stayed non-stop for six consecutive days, sleeping at the office, he said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Before 9\/11, he had no problems and a good financial life. <\/p>\n

Then he had a stroke in 2005 at age of 39 that his doctors trace to undiagnosed sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

Suddenly he struggled with basic math and keeping up with tasks and appointments. <\/p>\n

He hasn\u2019t worked since. \u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous strain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The connection wasn\u2019t direct or immediate, which is why researchers are still studying the population. Pierini says his symptoms progressed to atrial fibrillation \u2013 a heart rhythm disorder \u2013 which triggered the early stroke.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s frustrating when friends don\u2019t understand. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t walk in my shoes \u2014 you don\u2019t live in my head where I\u2019m fighting with myself because of the simple tasks that I used to be able to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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First responders who heroically braved the dust and debris after the Sept. 11th attacks are suffering increased incidence of cognitive problems and even dementia later in life, according to ongoing research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Ground Zero toxins spark cruel, early dementia crisis for 9\/11 heroes - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8163\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Ground Zero toxins spark cruel, early dementia crisis for 9\/11 heroes - 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