Staten Island is still counting the cost of 9/11, nearly 25 years later, with 3,690 cancer diagnoses and rising. Robert McKenna, a retired NYPD lieutenant from Annadale, says he believes his cancer is linked to his exposure after the attacks. He said he has had 26 procedures and 9 stitches in his ear after being diagnosed with skin cancer in June 2023. McKenna was working in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, and said dust and debris covered the area for days. Researcher Dr. Maaike van Gerwen said it can take years for cancer to develop after exposure, making causation hard to prove. Phil Gill of Tottenville was diagnosed last September with a rare gastrointestinal stromal tumor and says the World Trade Center Health Program helped cover treatment.
