The decision entitles 70,000 surviving emergency service workers and other survivors¹ to free care. 

 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety announced the change on the eve of the attacks' 11th anniversary. 

 

Some 1,000 deaths have been linked to illnesses caused by toxic² dust spewed（喷涌） by wreckage³ at ground zero.

 

Construction workers, first responders, office cleaners and others all fell ill in the decade after the attacks. 

 

The institute said last June that it was in favour of expanding the existing $4.3bn 9/11 health programme to include people with 50 types of cancer, following a recommendation from an advisory⁴ committee.

 

Cancers to be covered include lung and colorectal, breast and bladder, leukaemia（白血病）, melanoma（黑素瘤） and all childhood cancers.

 

The medical coverage⁵ comes under the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama last year.

 

Until now, most of the health compensation was for respiratory（呼吸的） diseases linked to the toxic dust and fumes⁶ from the fallen towers.

 

John Howard, administrator⁷ of the World Trade Center Health Program established by the Zadroga law, said Monday's announcement marked "an important step in the effort to provide needed treatment and care to 9/11 responders and survivors".

 

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement the decision would "continue to ensure that those who have become ill due to the heinous⁸ attacks on 9/11 get the medical care they need and deserve".

 

The compensation has been held up by a dispute over whether there was evidence of a direct link between the World Trade Center tragedy and cancer.

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