House nears vote on aid bill for 9/11 responders

WASHINGTON - The House is nearing a vote on a bill that would pay billions of dollars to people exposed to toxic World Trade Center dust in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The House is expected to take up the measure, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), to provide health care for more of the 9/11 first responders and others sickened by toxins emanating from the ruins of the World Trade Center.

"My colleagues in the New York delegation and I have worked for years to get the Zadroga Act to the House floor for a vote," Maloney said in a statement . "The health crisis caused by the attacks is one of the last remaining gaps in America's response to 9/11. Thousands of 9/11 first responders and survivors have serious illnesses that will require medical care for life, and our bill will ensure that they get the care they need."

The bill's cost has been estimated at $7.4 billion for the first 10 years. New York and New Jersey members of Congress have been pushing for several years on the measure.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

Thousands of people claim to have been made sick by their exposure to the clouds of dust that hovered over the trade center site for months after the attacks.

Doctors have found that the most common symptoms are breathing problems similar to asthma. Abnormally high numbers of workers who labored on the Ground Zero rescue and recovery operation also suffer from acid reflux disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The true number of people suffering from long-term health problems, however, is unknown, and many thousands who were exposed to the dust and feel fine now fear they could develop a serious sickness such as cancer later.

The legislation is named for James Zadroga, a New York City Police detective who died at age 34 in 2006.

The cause of Zadroga's death has been hotly disputed. His family and supporters claim he was killed by respiratory disease contracted during rescue operations at Ground Zero. New York City's medical examiner, however, found that Zadroga's lung condition was caused by the abuse of prescription drugs.