9/11 Anniversary Honors Victims, Health Toll

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, families and communities continue to honor the 2,977 people killed, including immigrants and Americans with ties to South Asian, Jamaican and Latino communities, while reflecting on the unity and service that followed. Commemorations increasingly recognize responders, workers and residents who later died or became ill after exposure to toxic dust and debris; 9/11-related illnesses have reportedly killed more FDNY firefighters and EMS workers than the attacks themselves. More than 400,000 people were exposed to contaminants in Lower Manhattan, and survivors including former NYPD Officer Renee Totaro face severe respiratory disease and transplant needs as government health programs record rising cancer and other diagnoses. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is adding a permanent seventh moment of silence for those later victims, while ceremonies in New York, at the Pentagon, in Pennsylvania and elsewhere honor both groups. New York City’s medical examiner continues using advanced DNA techniques to identify remains, although undocumented victims and workers with informal or inconsistent records faced additional obstacles to recognition and documentation. Memorials, community support and initiatives such as Homes for Heroes continue preserving individual legacies and assisting service workers, even as confidence in the government’s ability to prevent another attack has declined.