Another kind of 9/11 rememberance

[Skybird]

In an interview with a doctor of a NY hospital, broadcasted on German channel ZDF on sunday evening (one of the two major public broadcasters over here), that doctor said that they were running a study in their hospital and found that of the 16.000 helpers at ground zero that they had covered in their survey, three quarters (! yes, three out of four !) suffered from serious health problems that could be directly linked back to the toxic dusts from the rubble that these men were breathing during that work. That doctor also said that "many persons" already have died of such deseases, and even more are potentially threatened by death. the deseases were serious for the most, turning bpeople in disabled people that need breathing machines, lounge transplanations, and major treatement for intoxication and related kinds of cancer.

Reminds me of the workers at Chernobyl who got sent into the derth zone for 30 seconds, and then returned, just to become ill, and die. For some unlucky people, life simply does not run fair.

[TteFAboB]

How much of those 16000 are among the other 3000? What's the total death toll including the helpers and people around the site?

[joea]

Terrible, just terrible. Shows how these kind of events take victims long after.

[tycho102]

What else could you expect? Their alveoli were probably just completely covered with all the particulate matter.

Add "a pair of skyscrapers" to the list of area denial weapons, right alongside mustard gas, chlorine, and sarin.

[stabiz]

I am actually a bit amazed that the post effects of the Gulf War dont get more attention. Whats the casuality toll there?

[Skybird]

You need access to read beyond the summaries of these two medical reports. There are probably many other such studies available at different places as well.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content...3?%20maxtoshow=
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/conten...t/313/5789/979

About PTSD:
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/gener...t_is_ptsd.html

Statistical data given in the two reports on top are not engraved in stone. I also red about higher percentages of battle-exposed troops from Vietnam and Gulf 91 developing PTSD.

Before the war 2003 I warned that several tens of thousand of sldiers will suffer from severe pschological syndroms and sufferings of various kind as a consequence from the war, no matter how it may go. I also said that around one fifth to one quarter of these must be expected to be seriously handicapped or disabled for the rest of their lifes. Physically wounded soldiers not counted. I earned laughter only, but statistics since Vietnam, even if the various research projects vary, where on my side when making those statements.

I personally assume the number of wounded US soldiers, both physically and psychologically, must be expressed in several tens of thousands. Due to the greater efforts in psychological treatement for actice soldiers as well as better veteran care-taking, not as many as after vietnam will suffer from complete disorientation from formerly ordinary living structures in civil life, alienation, and getting disrooted and kicked out of any social contexts, but nevertheless there are some hundred real dangerous potential "living bombs" currently walking on American streets as a direct result of their service in Iraq. I have no doubt that some of them will become known to the police in very serious contexts.

Some more links that had just been given in a German essay some days ago:
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/gener...t_is_ptsd.html
http://www.brothersboundbyhonor.com/ptsd.html
http://groups.msn.com/AftermathofwarcopingwithPTSDtoo

Ironically, when I referred to these things in 2003, some of those that today are the most willing to waste their troops uselessly in Iraq on and on - just to avoid admitting that it was a mistake -, where those that were laughing the loudest back then and waved my remarks off. Such armchair patriots, no matter what nationality, I dislike even more than those that show the usual already overloaded patriotism bursting with nationalistic sentiment. Because they are traitors to their own people and do not care for the lifes and wellbeings of their fellow citizens fighting as long as they only can have their parades and wave their flags and shout hooray when switching on CNN and Fox. Such people should feel deeply ashamed when foreigners from other, disagreeing nations take more care for their soldiers than these sly "patriots" themselves. Obviously many of these kind of persons do not know what they are talking about. Such behavior makes me angry - back then, and still today.