Insist Zadroga's Death Tied to Post-9/11 Work; Magazine Raises New Questions
By ARI PAUL
The lawyer of the family of a Detective whose name is on a Federal bill covering treatment of post-9/11 rescue workers with illnesses contracted from inhaling toxins at Ground Zero Sept. 9 dismissed claims that an article about the officer in the New Yorker magazine published last week cast doubt on whether his death was related to his recovery work.

JAMES ZADROGA: Controversy lingers over death.

Michael Barasch, who represents the parents of James Zadroga, said that a New York Times article inaccurately reported before the magazine hit stands that a biopsy of the Detective found only minor abnormalities in his lungs.

Mr. Barasch, however, was contradicted by the New Yorker piece, which stated that a 2003 biopsy of Mr. Zadroga found that his lungs "had only minor abnormalities," and quoted an unidentified pathologist who said the material found in his lungs following his death in January 2006 could not have gone undetected if it was already present during the biopsy five years ago.

'Healthy Prior to 9/11'

"Prior to the WTC attacks, Detective Jimmy Zadroga was healthy, 30 years old, and he passed all random drug tests given to him by the Police Department," Mr. Barasch stated in an e-mail. "He then toiled 200-plus hours at Ground Zero without respiratory protection. Within weeks of his work at Ground Zero, Jimmy began to suffer from a constant cough and his health began to deteriorate. The five years of degenerative lung problems, which forced him to go on sick leave in early 2002, are well documented."

The Chief-Leader/Pat Arnow MICHAEL BARASCH: 'Underlying cause' was exposure.

Detective Zadroga's death has been an issue of contention, with family members citing a New Jersey medical examiner's report and the Police Pension Fund Medical Board's decision that the officer's death was linked to his work at Ground Zero, while the city's Chief Medical Examiner, Charles J. Hirsch insisted that the cause of death was abuse of prescription drugs.

Mr. Barasch dismissed Dr. Hirsch's claims — which the ME held to during an interview with the New Yorker reporter — saying that Detective Zadroga's prescription drugs were locked up in order to protect his young daughter and that he was under the constant supervision of his father, who never saw him abuse the drugs. Mr. Barasch insisted that Detective Zadroga's body contained no track marks, even though Dr. Hirsch claimed he had used the drugs intravenously. Dr. Hirsch told the New Yorker that if clean needles had been used, it was less likely that there would be obvious track marks.

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang SEARCHING FOR CURES: Manhattan City Councilman Alan Gerson (left) presented a $1,950,000 check on behalf of the Council to the Bellevue Environmental Lung Disease Center Sept. 12 at City Hall. The donation will go towards researching pulmonary conditions related to 9/11 toxins.

 

'Underlying Cause Was Exposure'

"Even if Dr. Hirsch is correct, common sense tells us that Jimmy Zadroga would not have needed any of the 14 prescription medications he was taking when he died had he not sustained the underlying pulmonary diseases that he was being treated for as a result of his exposure at Ground Zero," Mr. Barasch said. "If he misused the prescription drugs in an attempt to help him avoid suffocating to death, or perhaps because his brain wasn't getting enough oxygen — he was first diagnosed with hypoxemia in January 2003 — and he wasn't able to think clearly, it certainly doesn't change the underlying cause of his death."

Detective Zadroga's name is attached to a bill now in the U.S. House of Representatives that would secure Federal funding for medical monitoring and treatment for workers and residents with 9/11-related health problems. Along with several other NYPD members who died after 9/11, Detective Zadroga's name was added to the Wall of Heroes in May during NYPD Memorial Day.

"The Zadrogas want nothing more except to allow their son to now rest in peace and for thousands of others, who worked with their son at Ground Zero, to get the help they need and deserve so that they can hopefully avoid Jimmy's horrible death," Mr. Barasch said.