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Post 9/11 death added to victims tally

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

(New York -WABC, May 23, 2007) (WABC) -- The New York City medical examiner's office confirmed on Wednesday a woman who died of lung disease several months after 9/11 was added to the list of attack victims.

This marks the first time New York City has officially linked a death to the toxic dust caused by the World Trade Center's collapse.

Officials say 42-year-old attorney Felicia Dunn-Jones, who was trapped in a dust cloud as she fled lower Manhattan on that day, died of sarcoidosis -- a disease that causes inflammation and scarring in the lungs, on Feb. 10, 2002.

Chief Medical Examiner Charles Hirsch, cited "accumulated scientific research" that concluded exposure to ground zero dust can cause or contribute to sarcoidosis. He said that "Mrs. Dunn-Jones' exposure to World Trade Center dust on 9/11/01 contributed to her death and it has been ruled a homicide."

"Mrs. Dunn-Jones has now been added to the list of people who died as a result of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers," Hirsch added.

The city said the 9/11 death toll at the trade center stands at 2,750.

Meanwhile, a class action lawsuit has claimed dozens of deaths have been caused by exposure to toxic trade center dust. A New Jersey medical examiner last year ruled that the January 2006 death of 34-year-old James Zadroga, a retired police detective, was "directly related" to his work at ground zero on and after September 11th.

Dunn-Jones' estate received a $2.6 million death benefit from a federal fund to compensate victims' families.

New York lawmakers, some of whom urged the city to add Dunn-Jones to the death toll last year, spoke out on this latest development.

"Sadly, we have known that Felicia is not alone and that others have died from ailments caused by 9/11 ... "I hope that the medical examiner is no longer in denial about the trade center dust. Dr. Hirsch must review the cases of other 9/11 heroes who, like Felicia, died in the prime of their lives," said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

"The evidence suggests that the toxic air over Ground Zero played a role in Ms. Dunn-Jones's passing. While it took time for the Medical Examiner and others to reach this conclusion, it demonstrates that the health of innocent people was negatively affected by Ground Zero air. This landmark decision should serve as springboard for the federal government to release a comprehensive plan to monitor and treat all those who are sick or injured as a result of 9/11," said Congressman Vito Fosella (R-NY).

Mayor Bloomberg also responded to Wednesday's news.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dunn-Jones family on this difficult day. It is on their behalf and on behalf of all those affected by 9/11 that we are now building a memorial that remembers and honors the thousands of innocents that died," the mayor said in a statement.

Dunn-Jones' family had asked last year that the medical examiner add her name to the death toll, but Hirsch wrote at the time that his office could not link her death to the exposure "with certainty beyond a reasonable doubt."

Since then, an FDNY doctor published a study that found firefighters who worked at ground zero contracted sarcoidosis at a much higher rate after the 9/11 attacks than before, linking the disease firmly to the dust exposure.

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