(Dr. Jacqueline Moline, director of the World Trade Center monitoring and treatment program at Mount Sinai Medical Center, examines Warren Bub, 42. She says some ground zero workers are being examined for the first time.)

Dr. Jacqueline Moline: 

Dr. J. Moline is the Director of the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program Clinical Center at Mount Sinai Hospital.  The Center was previously located in a separate building on 101st street.  Dr. Moline finds that the “new location plays a big part in the [their] efforts to help and support our WTC responders, as they continue to come in for their annual exams or treatment visits”. (The WTC Responder Health Watch, Winter 2009)  Unfortunately, the WTC Clinic will be closing this June, in the summer of 2010. 

The clinic, directed by Dr. J. Moline, established a support program and “The 9/11 Neediest Medical Campaign”, which conjunctively have made it possible for patients without “any health insurance to receive awards toward treatment or medication for life-threatening illnesses” that are not covered by their participation in the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program.  (The WTC Responder Health Watch, Winter 2009)  This campaign, which is coming to a close, was created specifically to address “a significant gap in available medical resources for a great number of 9/11 responders.  The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund and other generous donors made the campaign possible with a donation of over $2 million”.  (The WTC Responder Health Watch, Winter 2009) 

Regarding the end of the program, Dr. Moline states that she is “supremely grateful to the New York Times and other funders for this chance to have helped so many patients,’ she only wishes that, ‘the program did not have to end, as the need for care remains.’”  (The WTC Responder Health Watch, Winter 2009)  Throughout the programs operation over 250 responders throughout the New York and New Jersey areas have benefited.  The clinic provided medical services for broad range of illnesses: cancers, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, thyroid disorders, spine disease, and others. 

Dr. Moline was kind enough to take some time to sit down with me and share her thoughts on the greater remaining issues that revolve around the aftermath of September 11th and the health issues effecting rescue and recovery workers. 

Regarding what the main issues are at hand, Dr. Moline point to three pressing issues:

1. “It’s a New York Problem”
2. “Why shouldn’t the City pick up the cost?” The City has tremendous liability – the cost of medical care and the costs of the unknown. 
3. “This was an unprecedented mix of bad stuff”

Among the many points that Dr. Moline made, the first was that the 9/11 rescue and recovery workers “are patients not victims”.  Dr. Moline’s second point was in reference to the toxicants and toxicant exposure as she said that it is “always difficult to prove the cause of an issue with a toxicant.  Science is bad about mixed exposure and this was a completely unknown mixture”.  Dr. Moline further stated that there absolutely was no and there is “no literature about this yet, it is a total new thing”.  Despite the fact that ‘we do known the constituents’ there is ‘NO preexisting evidence’”.  From a scientific and medical standpoint this is clearly a novel, complicated situation riddled with issues. 

In terms of specific medical issues, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) seems to be the only thing that people really do know about and can comfortably connect to September 11th.  Regarding the numerous reports of crazy cancers, lymphomas, etc. Dr. Moline made it clear that this was an extreme case and “novel [form] of exposure,’ leaving ‘a group of folks with all kinds of bizarre issues.”  Another point that Dr. Moline made certain to highlight was the fact that there have “reportedly been many cases of lymphoma, leukemia, cancers, etc.”, emphasis on “reportedly” as she believes that “For anyone who has cancer now, I think it’s overwhelmingly unlikely that it’s related to the World Trade Center”. (Source: New York Magazine)  Dr. Moline roots her belief in the fact that during Vietnam, the many who were exposed to Agent Orange did not develop cancers, or chronic lymphomatic leukemia until decades after the war and their purported exposure.  It is “very difficult to pin point and confirm a cause” in these cases when said life-threatening medical issues evolve over time.

.  

Based on widespread reports and medical information it would appear that this is potentially a forthcoming cancer cluster-related issue, and “cancer clusters, in general are an utter medical nightmare”.  In looking at other examples of cancer cluster cases (i.e. Woburn Massachusetts) there is nothing even remotely comparable to 9/11.  It is an extremely unique event, which one could argue thus requires unique attention and an even more unique response.

That being said, where do we go from here? “We need to do the real science now, but the problem is cost” states Dr. Moline. 

This is not the first time the notion of 9/11 and its aftermath as being a “New York problem” has come up.  What are some thoughts on this?

What are some thoughts on the correlation between the affects of Agent Orange and those of September 11th?

Read more:

Is 9/11 to Blame For The Ailments of Cops, Firefighters, and Those Working and Living Near Ground Zero? http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/sept11/features/9875/index1.html#ixzz0Z4fe6Ccc

Mount Sinai Health Watch, World Trade Center Exams (Winter 2009)

http://www.wtcexams.org/pdfs/WTC_Winter_2009_Mount_Sinai_Insert.pdf