World Trade Center Paramedic Dies of Mesothelioma

March 21, 2006 - One of the first deaths from mesothelioma among emergency workers who responded to the World Trade Center disaster has been reported in New York.  Deborah Reeve, a 41-year-old New York City paramedic with 17 years experience, died on Wednesday, March 15, 2006.

Reeve’s family has confirmed that she did indeed die of mesothelioma, a type of cancer whose only known cause is exposure to asbestos.  Doctors and scientists have long been predicting that an outbreak of mesothelioma would occur among emergency workers and others exposed to the remains of the World Trade Center, but this one, so far, is just one of a handful of documented cases. 

Often, mesothelioma symptoms take several decades to appear, but Reeve’s family notes that the paramedic “developed a cough in late 2003 and retired at the end of 2004 after becoming too ill to work.”  Her job during the disaster was to work at the morgue, a task Reeve continued for months. 

City health officials refuse to acknowledge at this time that Reeve’s death was caused by toxic dust from the remains of the World Trade Center, but doctors for the paramedic say they have little doubt as to what caused her disease.  Currently, a pending lawsuit alleges more than 20 deaths have been linked to WTC asbestos exposure.

Deborah Reeve’s is survived by her husband, who is also a paramedic, and two children – ages 6 and 10.