9/11 Melanoma Victim Compensation Fund Claims

Melanoma is a common type of skin cancer, often associated with over-exposure to UV rays in sunlight or from tanning beds. However, melanomas can develop from other causes, including exposure to toxins. The cancer can be aggressive and spread, leading to fatality if not treated early.

When the toxic dust cloud hung over Lower Manhattan for weeks and months after the 9/11 attacks, hundreds of thousands of responders, workers, residents, and students were unwittingly exposed to a range of deadly toxins that led to skin cancer and other adverse health conditions.

As one of over 70 cancers linked to 9/11 toxic exposure, melanoma victims can claim free lifetime medical assistance and substantial compensation if they enroll in the relevant programs.

Let’s look closer at the issue of melanoma and the assistance available for victims.

Some types of skin cancer are more serious than others. Melanoma, while much rarer than non-melanoma skin cancers, is known for its severity. It is a fast-growing cancer that can spread into blood vessels and lymph nodes and attack other organs. If left untreated, it is often fatal.

In the general population, melanomas account for only one percent of skin cancer cases. Around 10 percent of the 90,000 people in the U.S. diagnosed with melanoma each year will die from it.

Skin cancer is highly prevalent among 9/11 first responders and survivors, with melanoma the fourth most common cancer, after non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.

How do you identify melanoma?

Melanoma usually looks like a mole or large spot on the skin with multiple colors and/or an irregular shape. Use the following ABCDE guide to identify melanoma:

• Asymmetry: Melanoma lesions are often odd shapes.
• Border: They have an irregular border.
• Color: They vary in color.
• Diameter: They are usually around 6 millimeters wide (the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil).
• Evolving: They change quickly on the skin.

If caught early enough, melanoma is treatable with surgery alone. The later the melanoma is identified, the more likely that immune-suppressing treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, are necessary.

When the three World Trade Centre buildings collapsed on 9/11, they created a huge dust cloud containing a cocktail of deadly toxins, including asbestos, PAHs, heavy metals, and more.

As first responders, rescuers, and recovery/cleanup workers labored heroically at Ground Zero and ordinary people responded to the call to return to normal activities after the attacks, they unwittingly exposed themselves to these harmful chemicals.

Those exposed gradually experienced a series of adverse health issues that could not be ignored. Many cancers became associated with 9/11 toxin exposure at Ground Zero. This led to concerted efforts to hold the government responsible for helping the responders and survivors and was the driving force behind the programs that were developed to help the victims (more about these below).

Besides UV rays, other risk factors for developing melanoma include age, genetics, and exposure to environmental hazards, such as toxic chemical exposure.

Before age 50, melanoma is more common in women than in men. After age 50, this reverses sharply. Between the ages of 60-70, men have twice to three times the incidence of women and are more likely to die from the cancer.

Within the 9/11 community, the greatest risk of melanoma is seen among male first responders, while survivors who lived, worked, or studied in Lower Manhattan immediately after September 11^th, 2001, are also susceptible.

According to the World Trade Center Health Program, about 88 percent of 9/11 responders were male. It is, therefore, not surprising that more men than women in the 9/11 community have fallen victim to melanoma. However, the higher male death rates from melanoma in the general population are largely unexplained.

What is known is that early screening and treatment of melanoma can prevent the worst consequences of the disease.

For 9/11 survivors present in Lower Manhattan between September 11^th, 2001, and July 31st, 2002, the government presumes that melanoma was the result of exposure to Ground Zero toxins.

Help is available from two main programs: free healthcare and monitoring from the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, and compensation from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).

• The exposure zone to qualify for the WTC Health Program consists of all of Manhattan below Houston Street and parts of Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO in Brooklyn.
• The exposure zone to claim from the VCF includes the area of Manhattan south of Canal Street and west of Clinton Street.

Your family medical history and any pre-existing conditions will not affect your eligibility for free lifetime healthcare from the WTC Health Program, which provides comprehensive medical care for any 9/11-related illness.

The VCF provides substantial tax-free awards for pain and suffering associated with melanoma, as well as lost earnings and benefits for surviving spouses and family members.

Any survivor and responder exposed to Ground Zero toxins should enroll in the programs to protect against future conditions, even if they have not yet suffered symptoms of 9/11-related conditions.

Skin cancer is so common that every person exposed to risk factors like environmental toxins, regardless of age, should undergo routine screening to check for the signs of melanoma. Early diagnosis saves lives.

To discuss your situation and learn more about how we may be able to help you, please call Weisfuse & Weisfuse, LLC at 212-983-3000 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.