9/11 Health Worries Follow Giuliani
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON — Mayor Giuliani’s experience on September 11, 2001, and at ground zero propelled him into presidential politics, yet by his own admission, it may also weaken his health — a key issue for any candidate seeking the White House.
Just last week, Mr. Giuliani was criticized by some firefighter unions for suggesting he was at ground zero as much, if not more, than many rescue workers and exposed to the same health risks. He quickly backed off that statement, saying he misspoke.
“I empathize with them, because I feel like I have that same risk,” said Mr. Giuliani, who was at the World Trade Center almost immediately on September 11 and was onsite many times a day after that. That assertion — made repeatedly by the former mayor over the years — could pose a different challenge in his quest for the White House, by suggesting he may not stay healthy through a presidential term.
Mr. Giuliani, a 63-year-old cancer survivor, wonders about his long-term health and that of his close aides who worked with him on September 11 and after.
“I’m sure that some of these people are going to have symptoms, and maybe it’s not now. They’re going to have them five years from now or 10 years from now,” Mr. Giuliani said last year.
