The Moral Obligation to Take Care of 9/11 Respondents

It seems that a group of scientists have objected to the "notion" that exposure to the dust and debris of 9/11 caused anyone's cancers.

You know, I have heard a lot of balderdash in my lifetime, but this may rank as close to the top of the BS list as anything I have ever heard.

These geniuses don't think that there is any proof that the dust can be scientifically linked to 50 types of cancer seen in first responders and volunteers who risked their own lives and limbs to rescue and recover the victims of the most heinous attack in our history and clean up the site of the tragedy.

I hate to make a gigantic leap to a conclusion here, but I think this might have more to do with money than it does with "science." The bill has passed to care for the living victims of 9/11 as well it should have. I wonder about scientists who can't see the cause and the effect of working with tons of toxic waste day after day. I wonder what their agenda might be.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to deduce that exposure to dust and debris filled with mercury, asbestos, powdered concrete and vaporized human remains, might cause cancer. Cancer is not the only malady that our heroes are suffering from. There are those who are having kidney and liver failure, COPD and emphysema, chronic depression and PTSD.

Did we forget so soon that all were told it was "safe" to go down there by the EPA? Guess what? It wasn't safe. My  eldest daughter volunteered with her church to spend time down at the Trade Center and feed the hundreds of volunteers, police and firemen who were valiantly searching through the remains of the Towers.

Months  after the disaster, the smell of burning electronics, concrete and paper, filled the air. Several of the parishioners, including a young priest, were overcome by the fumes, and they were blocks away. My  daughter had headaches for weeks. Ask anyone who lived  or worked in the area. It was unbearable.

So is it really such a stretch to conclude that breathing all of this and having it touching your skin day after day, might just cause you to become ill down the road? Not to my way of thinking.

If we have warnings on cigarette packs telling us that smoking causes cancer, if we have concern that polluted air and water are killing us, is it so farfetched to think that breathing in pulverized particles of glass and asbestos and concrete for a year might possibly do the same thing? Can anyone called a "scientist" here just use a little common sense?

Cancer is my particular nemesis. It's a disease that destroys so many lives and families I hate it with a passion. We have thrown billions of dollars into research and yes, there have been strides, but not enough. As Naturopaths, we believe that cancer is a disease of imbalance amongst other factors. Those other factors are environmental. We also believe that the body can heal itself of any disease if the right path is followed. I know it.  I've seen it.

I'm going to go out on a limb and tell you I don't really care what the scientists say, we have a moral obligation to care for these heroic men and women who went downtown, risked their own lives and worked at the most horrifying job anyone can imagine without complaint and with a zeal and fervor to honor our sacred dead such as we have rarely seen.

Are we such a pathetic society that we  would withhold treatment and care for them when they fall ill with strange cancers and diseases that cannot be explained otherwise? I think not. We can certainly dispense our financial largesse to people thousands of miles away whose primary pursuit in life seems to be gleefully killing as many of us as possible. This is like taking off your child's shoes and sending them down the street to another child whilst your's goes barefoot.

We have a sacred duty to care for those who fight for us, protect us and respond to our disasters. It's pitiful that there are those in the so-called scientific community who seem to have no understanding of either morality or the nature of illness whatsoever.

Dr. Kleine regrets she cannot give advice by phone or e-mail.  For an appointment, call 631.472.8139 or e-mail us at Drfootsi@myway.com