25 Years After September 11: Airport Security Reforms and the Ongoing Health Crisis for First Responders

On the morning of September 11, two flights that had departed from Boston were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center. Logan International Airport’s aviation director, Tom Kinton, recalled losing both aircraft that morning and witnessing the towers’ destruction.

WCVB - Boston News

In the weeks after the attacks, Kinton and his team coordinated with local, state and federal agencies to investigate why Boston had been chosen as a launch point. Logan rewrote its security plan, adopting measures that remain in effect today. The reforms were credited to close cooperation with the state police and internal operations staff.

WCVB - Boston News

The rescue and cleanup effort exposed tens of thousands of volunteers and emergency workers to a toxic dust cloud of pulverized concrete, glass, insulation, kerosene and other hazardous substances. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded more than 57,000 cases of cancer linked to the attacks, with over 10,000 additional cases reported in the twelve months leading up to June 2026. By 2026, more than 150,000 people had enrolled in a government health program that evaluates 9/11-related illnesses.

When First Responders Fall Ill Years Later—The Aftermath of 9

Curt Andrews, a volunteer firefighter from Connecticut, described his decision to rush to Ground Zero: “We all knew that thousands upon thousands of people worked there. So I told myself: I have to go there to help.” While searching the rubble, he and his crew rescued a survivor whose arm had been pierced by a steel beam. Andrews later developed multiple cancers, a fate shared by many of his colleagues, yet he expressed no regret about his service.

When First Responders Fall Ill Years Later—The Aftermath of 9

• 57,000+ cancer cases linked to the attacks (CDC).

When First Responders Fall Ill Years Later—The Aftermath of 9

• 10,000+ new cancer cases recorded in the year before June 2026 (CDC).

When First Responders Fall Ill Years Later—The Aftermath of 9

• 150,000+ individuals registered in the 9/11 health monitoring program by 2026 (CDC).

When First Responders Fall Ill Years Later—The Aftermath of 9

Kinton noted that early speculation about lax security at Logan was later disproved by the 9/11 Commission, and he credited the collaborative effort with state police for the successful security overhaul.

WCVB - Boston News

The CDC’s ongoing surveillance program continues to document and treat illnesses arising from exposure to the dust and smoke that lingered for months after the towers collapsed, underscoring the long-term public-health burden that persists decades after the event.

When First Responders Fall Ill Years Later—The Aftermath of 9

• “That’s the worst possible nightmare for an airport director is to lose an aircraft, and I lost two that morning, and they took down the World Trade Center,” — Tom Kinton

WCVB - Boston News

• “We got beat as a country. Nobody did anything wrong. They had a plan that circumvented all the security that was in place at the time.” — Tom Kinton

WCVB - Boston News

• “We all knew that thousands upon thousands of people worked there. So I told myself: I have to go there to help,” — Curt Andrews

When First Responders Fall Ill Years Later—The Aftermath of 9