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Garrison resident was exposed to toxins at Ground Zero
Former Gov. George Pataki, who lives in Garrison, revealed last week that he has a lung disease related to his exposure to toxins at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.
Pataki, who was governor from 1995 to 2006, told the New York Post that he has been diagnosed with restrictive airway disease, which can cause coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest pain.
By one estimate, about 400,000 people were exposed to toxins after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. On Tuesday (Sept. 8), New York City released thousands of pages of air quality reports and other documents about the aftermath.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 82, also suffers from restrictive airway disease. A spokesperson for Giuliani, who was hospitalized in May, said it adds complications to other respiratory illnesses.
Pataki, 81, told the Post that he considers himself lucky he hasn't been diagnosed with cancer. In a statement to USA Today, he said attention should instead be on the "extraordinary men and women who answered the call that day and in the weeks and months that followed.
"Twenty-five years later, many are still living with the consequences of what they did for New York and for America," he said. "Our obligation is not simply to thank them once a year. It is to stand with them for the rest of their lives."
Former Gov. George Pataki, who lives in Garrison, revealed last week that he has a lung disease related to his exposure to toxins at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.
Pataki, who was governor from 1995 to 2006, told the New York Post that he has been diagnosed with restrictive airway disease, which can cause coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest pain.
By one estimate, about 400,000 people were exposed to toxins after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. On Tuesday (Sept. 8), New York City released thousands of pages of air quality reports and other documents about the aftermath.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 82, also suffers from restrictive airway disease. A spokesperson for Giuliani, who was hospitalized in May, said it adds complications to other respiratory illnesses.
Pataki, 81, told the Post that he considers himself lucky he hasn't been diagnosed with cancer. In a statement to USA Today, he said attention should instead be on the "extraordinary men and women who answered the call that day and in the weeks and months that followed.
"Twenty-five years later, many are still living with the consequences of what they did for New York and for America," he said. "Our obligation is not simply to thank them once a year. It is to stand with them for the rest of their lives."