April 3rd, 2006

The funeral has taken place for an EMT worker who worked at Ground Zero in New York after the 9/11 tragedy, and then went on to develop the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma, from which she died. Forty-one-year-old Debbie Reeve was the mother of two, and is thought to be the third EMT worker to die from a disease potentially related to the 9/11 disaster in the last year.

Officials have denied that the condition was related to the 9/11 disaster, but experts have stated that the condition was consistent with those that worked at the site in the early days following the tragedy and were exposed for prolonged periods.

The family of the deceased have been left with around $100,000 worth of medical bills, as Debbie had been fighting for worker’s compensation up until her death. She was diagnosed with the caner in 2005 after developing breathing problems in 2004.

Towards the middle of 2005, Debbie also lost her salary and benefits having used up all of her sick leave. A union spokesperson stated: "She was taken off the payroll. She had a two-income family and suffered the loss of one of those incomes. So now her husband, David, is left without his wife and almost $100,000 in medical bills."