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Firefighters who arrived early or spent more time at the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 attacks seem to have a modestly higher risk of developing heart problems than those who came later or stayed less, doctors reported Friday. The research might have implications for any efforts to expand the list of health problems eligible for payment from a victim compensation fund. (9/6)

The research might have implications for any efforts to expand the list of health problems eligible for payment from a victim compensation fund. The study doesn’t prove that dust or anything else about the disaster caused the firefighters to experience greater heart risks. Nor does it compare the New York City firefighters to the general population or to other responders, such as paramedics or construction workers. (Marchione, 9/6)

The data showed that the firefighters who arrived at the World Trade Center site on the morning of September 11, 2001, had a 44% increased risk of cardiovascular disease over the next 16 years compared with those who arrived later, Prezant said. "Those who showed up in the afternoon of 9/11 had a 24% increase compared to everyone else," he said. Additionally, "those showing up and being there for more than six months had a 30% increase." (Howard, 9/6)

For years, firefighters have been monitored for cancer and other illnesses, but this study focused on cardiovascular disease and examined 9,796 firefighters. The study’s authors said they reviewed not only who worked at ground zero but also how long they worked there, and whether they developed any cardiovascular disease in the years that followed. (Winter and Miller, 9/6)

The grim statistic comes in the wake of a protracted battle for funding to compensate ill first responders and other survivors as well as the families of those who died. President Trump recently signed into law a permanent extension of the funding for the Victim Compensation Fund, which would have run out of money by December 2020. (Katersky and Parekh, 9/6)