Nearly 25 years after the September 11 attacks, the CDC is finally launching a major health study focused on people who were children near Ground Zero when the twin towers fell. Roughly 25,000 kids were living or attending school in lower Manhattan that day — some were infants, others still in the womb — and thousands more were in surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods. All were exposed to a massive toxic cloud of pulverized concrete, glass fibers, asbestos, and other pollutants.

Despite that exposure, almost none of these children were enrolled in the government-funded health studies that followed 9/11, which focused primarily on adult first responders. Now, as this generation enters their 30s and early 40s, scientists are racing to understand whether their early-life toxic and trauma exposure has raised their long-term risk for cancers, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive health problems.

The CDC is seeking applications to establish a World Trade Center Youth Research Coordinating Center and recruit a cohort of exposed individuals — those who were 21 or younger, or in utero, and living below 14th Street in Manhattan or anywhere in Brooklyn on or after 9/11 — alongside an unexposed comparison group.

Key Takeaways:

• Chronic diseases linked to toxic exposure may only now be emerging as this generation reaches their 30s–40s
• Recruitment will be challenging — participants are spread across the U.S. and may be reluctant to revisit that period
• Experts say lessons from this study could inform how future disaster-exposed child populations are monitored

Why it matters: This study fills a critical gap in post-disaster public health research. Understanding the long-term health consequences of childhood toxic exposure could shape how we protect and monitor children in future disasters — from industrial accidents to conflict zones.