Cancer care for 9/11 survivors

[Badly Shaved Monkey]

As reported a fund to care for survivors of 9/11 will now cover a range of cancers because of 1,000 cancer deaths.

1,000 cancer deaths in 70,000 people (presumably almost all adults) over 11 years.

Is that really excess odds or is this political expediency?

 

[pakeha]

As reported a fund to care for survivors of 9/11 will now cover a range of cancers because of 1,000 cancer deaths.

1,000 cancer deaths in 70,000 people (presumably almost all adults) over 11 years.

Is that really excess odds or is this political expediency?

A good question.
From the article:

...Some 1,000 deaths have been linked to illnesses caused by toxic dust spewed by wreckage at ground zero.

Construction workers, first responders, office cleaners and others all fell ill in the decade after the attacks.

The institute said last June that it was in favour of expanding the existing $4.3bn 9/11 health programme to include people with 50 types of cancer, following a recommendation from an advisory committee.

Cancers to be covered include lung and colorectal, breast and bladder, leukaemia, melanoma and all childhood cancers. ...

 

[Badly Shaved Monkey]

Actually, re-reading the article I linked to, it says

Some 1,000 deaths have been linked to illnesses caused by toxic dust spewed by wreckage at ground zero.

"illnesses" not cancer, but I think the radio report did say 1,000 cancer deaths. So, cancer deaths are either 1,000 in total or are only part of a total of 1,000 deaths from various causes.

ETA: OK, just heard a repeat of the radio news item. I misheard because there was no estimate given for the number of cancer deaths, merely describing it as "many". The 1,000 was applied to the various "illnesses". Hmm...that seems like a careful elision of the most important fact, which rather reinforces my suspicion.]

 

[Badly Shaved Monkey]

P.S. I'm not bugged by the fact of giving free cancer care to some people, especially in a health system in which such care can be difficult to fund. If the US government makes a conscious decision to be magnanimous that's their choice. But it looks like bowing to special pleading by an emotive lobby, which fits a pattern that pervades government decision-making in the fields of health and science. The creation and useless persistence of NCCAM would be another example.

But, heck, maybe the epidemiology is in favour of this decision. In which case, fair dinkum.

 

[Badly Shaved Monkey]

Is it appropriate to point out that, as a Briton, I've never exactly understood what happened on 9th November 2001 to cause such controversy?

 

[Sledge]

Is it appropriate to point out that, as a Briton, I've never exactly understood what happened on 9th November 2001 to cause such controversy?

Niels Jannasch, Canadian historian and museum curator (b. 1924), died.

 

[Badly Shaved Monkey]

Niels Jannasch, Canadian historian and museum curator (b. 1924), died.

Was he known as an enemy of the New World Order?