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Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: On this month’s 17-year anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, the full extent of the impact on first responders is only beginning to become clear.

Many who assisted with the rescue, clean up, and ensuing investigation are being diagnosed with illnesses directly related to their exposure to toxins at 9/11-related sites.

A total of 15 FBI agents have died so far as a result—three of them since March.

Many more are sick.

FBI Director Christopher Wray urges 9/11 first responders to register for federal programs created to provide covered health screenings, monitoring, and treatment.

It could be life-saving advice.

Christopher Wray: In the days, and the weeks, and the months after September 11, you did more than what was asked of you, under worse circumstances than any of us could have imagined. You fought for justice. You fought for peace for the families who lost their loved ones. And you fought to make sure that what happened that day would never—ever—happen again. So let us help you now. Let us fight for you. We’re in this together. We’re going to tackle it together as we have everything else over the last 17 years.

Halpern: The FBI commemorates the sacrifices of first responders and the nearly 3,000 people killed during the 9/11 terror attacks.

To learn more, visit fbi.gov.

With FBI, This Week, I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau.