Brooklyn, NY - Congressman Edolphus Towns, 10th District New York, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Oversight, Management and Organization, will hold the hearing titled, "9/11 Health Effects: The Screening and Monitoring of First Responders," on Monday, September 10, 2007 at 10:45am in the Brooklyn Borough Hall Community Room, located at 209 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn, New York.  This hearing will investigate those programs that have been established to screen and monitor responders to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center for health problems.

"Not only am I concerned that several of the first responders who willingly went to "Ground Zero" to assist the victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center have now become ill and are not receiving the proper care and attention.  I am also concerned about the health of the school children, office workers, and area residents, all of whom where exposed by the toxins produced by the collapse of the Twin Towers," said Congressman Towns.

The collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11 released a massive dust cloud containing thousands of tons of cement dust, glass fibers, asbestos, lead, hydrochloric acid and other toxic pollutants.  This cloud traveled from "Ground Zero" across the East River and through Brooklyn.  Thousands of people including first responders, rescue recovery workers, office workers, school children, and clean-up workers which consisted of volunteers from all 50 states were all exposed to these toxins.

Among the witnesses for Monday's hearing are:

• Cynthia Bascetta - Director of the Health Care Division of the GAO
• Dr. Lorna Thorpe - Deputy Commissioner of Health/New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Dr. Spencer Eth - Senior Vice-President and Medical Director/Behavioral Health Sciences St. Vincent Medical Centers of New York

Congressman Towns held a Subcommittee hearing in February of 2007 addressing some of the health effects of the 9/11 attacks and found that more than 6,500 responders are currently being treated for physical illnesses and more than 4,500 have been referred for mental health care.  As of April of this year, nearly 34,000 September 11 first responders were enrolled in medical monitoring programs operated by a consortium of World Trade Center health clinics, including those at Mt. Sinai Hospital.    This number is expected to grow to at least 55,000 and could potentially rise to 65,000 responders within the next two years.

The New York delegation has been working to secure immediate and long-term funding for 9/11 monitoring and treatment programs.  The short-term funding includes $50 million in the Fiscal-Year 2007 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill passed in May of 2007 and an additional $50 million in the House-passed Fiscal-Year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill.

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