NIOSH is the U.S. federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations to

prevent worker injury and illness. NIOSH was established under the Occupational Safety

and Health Act of 1970. It is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

For more information

WORLD TRADE CENTER HEALTH PROGRAM

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program is a 

Division in the National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health (NIOSH). The WTC Health Program 

was established when the James Zadroga 9/11 Health 

and Compensation Act of 

2010 became law in January 

2011. 

The Act continued medical 

benefits for NYC responders 

and survivors; expanded 

benefits to responders in 

Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 

and at the Pentagon; and 

established an advisory committee and research 

program. In December 2015, Congress reauthorized the 

WTC Health Program for 75 years, ending in 2090.

The WTC Health Program currently has over 86,000 

members of which more than 43,000 members receive 

care for at least one certified WTC-related health 

condition.

The WTC Health Program 

provides high-quality 

medical monitoring and 

treatment for responders 

to the September 11, 

2001, terrorist attacks 

in New York City, at the 

Pentagon, and near 

Shanksville and for 

survivors in the New 

York City Disaster Area. 

Because of their exposure 

to airborne toxins 

and other hazardous 

conditions arising from 

the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 

responders and survivors now confront serious physical 

and mental health issues, including cancer. 

The program covers the following common health 

conditions among members:

1. Chronic rhinosinusitis

2. Gastroesophageal reflux disease

3. Asthma

4. Sleep apnea

5. Cancer

6. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

7. Chronic respiratory disorder (fumes/vapors)

8. WTC-exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary 

disease (COPD)

9. Depression

10. Anxiety disorder

The program provides medical benefits to eligible 

responders and survivors to monitor, evaluate, and 

treat specific WTC-related health conditions through 

seven Clinical Centers of Excellence in the New York 

metropolitan area and through a Nationwide Provider 

Network in all 50 states and U.S. territories. 

www.cdc.gov/wtc

1 (888) 982-4748

General Responders FDNY Responders Survivors

15,843

16,806 52,959

Membership by Member Type
To receive NIOSH documents or more information about occupational safety and health topics, please contact NIOSH:

Telephone: 1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636) TTY: 1–888–232–6348 

CDC INFO: www.cdc.gov/info or visit the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/NIOSH

For a monthly update on news at NIOSH, subscribe to NIOSH eNews by visiting www.cdc.gov/niosh/eNews.

This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted.

https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2018143

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2018-143

July 2018

OUR SAFETY AND HEALTH RESEARCH AREAS

Medical Care Research in 9/11 Health 

Exposures and Treatment

Outreach and Education

Each year, the WTC Health Program awards approximately $15 million in 

research designed to help answer critical questions about the physical and 

mental health conditions related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In addition, 

the program awards approximately $7 million per year to fund the WTC 

Health Registry administered by the New York City Department of Health 

and Mental Hygiene. Recently funded research topics include biomarkers 

of exposures or health outcomes, exposure-response relationships, and 

patterns of illness (age, gender). In 2017, the WTC Health program launched 

the Research to Care initiative with a community engagement event in 

New York City. Nearly 200 WTC Health Program members and community 

advocates heard directly from program–funded researchers about the state 

of science.

OUR STAFF

The WTC Health Program has approximately 36 full time positions and has offices in Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; 

Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; and New York, New York. Staff have experience in the following areas: 

Analytics: Program Analysts 

Communication: Health Communication 

Specialists

Contracts: Contract Specialists

Epidemiology: Epidemiologists 

IT Security: Security Analysts

Medicine: Medical Doctors

Nursing: Nurses

Pharmacy: Pharmacists

Social Work: Social Workers

Special Programs