At least 15 men who were at Ground Zero after 9/11 diagnosed with breast cancer: report

More than a dozen men who were in the area known as Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the New York Post. 

A law firm that represents health cases related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack told the newspaper that it has 15 male clients with breast cancer. The firm, Barasch McGarry, added that the men either worked or lived around the World Trade Center when the attack occurred. 

{mosads}The news outlet reported that men make up only 1 percent of people diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. 

Of the 15 men, five are reportedly 9/11 responders. The list includes two city firefighters, a New York Police Department sergeant, an ironworker, a highway repairman and a student who lived downtown at the time, the Post reported. 

“It’s like cancer on steroids,” said lawyer Michael Barasch.

The Post noted that John Mormondo, 51, a commodities broker and a triathlete, is one of the victims. 

The newspaper reported that Mormondo noticed a lump on his chest last year as he was preparing to participate in an Iron Man contest. He was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. 

“There is a very strong possibility this is linked to 9/11. There’s not a history of cancer in my family,” he said.

The breast cancer patients’ health struggles are among many cases involving people who spent time at or near Ground Zero. Almost 10,000 have sustained cancers that are tied to the toxic dust and smoke that was at the scene, according to the Post. 

Earlier this year, the New York Fire Department chief who led recovery efforts at the World Trade Center died of cancer that was caused by the toxins he was exposed to at Ground Zero.