Four cases of immune system cancer found in young 9/11 workers

Some of the law enforcement officers that worked at ground zero during the clean-up of the World Trade Towers have developed an immune system cancer.

While the numbers are small, eight out of the 28,252 emergency workers have multiple myeloma. It didn't surprise the researchers that the group had the cancer as it's the second most common hematological cancer in the United States according to AP. What did surprise the scientists was the age of those stricken. Four of those with the cancer are under the age of 45. In normal settings only one in this size of grouping would be expected to have the disease at this age. One of the officers that have the disease was caught in the dust cloud on 9/11 and then worked for months at the site itself. Another of the victims worked at the Staten Island landfill sifting the rubble. The other two victims worked about two weeks at the site. The average age of multiple myeloma is 71 in the general public. USA News reports:

"This is very preliminary," cautioned Dr. Mitchell Smith, director of the Lymphoma Service at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "It could turn out to be a statistical fluke and means nothing or it could be the tip of the iceberg and we'll see an increase in the next 10 years," he said.

The study can not say for certain that the young cancer victims developed multiple myeloma because of their time in the rubble but it does draw some questions. It is to be noted that generally the cancer does not develop until 10 to 20 years after being exposed to environmental carcinogens. These four cases were diagnosed within four years of the 9/11 attacks which causes the researchers to suggest that the disease was caused by something else. Multiple melanoma is a cancer that starts in plasma cells. The disease can cause bones to become brittle and pain to occur. It also prevents other organs from working correctly.