New York.– A retired detective from the New York Police of Cuban origin died this Saturday for a Cancer related to the substances that he sucked during the three months he spent looking for victims among the rubble of the Twin Towers after the attack of 11S of 2001 in USA.
Luis Álvarez, who was 53 years old, testified this June before a commission of the United States Congress about the compensation funds destined to the people who first responded to the terrorist attack of the September 11, 2001 at World Trade Center of New York.
Several local media reported that the agent died in hospital Rockville, in New York.
The dust, smoke, toxic chemicals that emanated from the rubble affected firefighters, police, construction workers and other emergency workers who acted after what happened and many have suffered, as a result, respiratory problems, digestive disorders, cancer lung and other types of cancer.
Álvarez he spent three months searching through the ruins of the buildings and roofs of nearby surviving buildings, as well as the remains of his dead companions.
Initially, a fund of 7 billion dollars was established, which has remained small due to the number of existing claims and because there is no mechanism to add more contributions.
A legal initiative wants Congress to guarantee funds for the people who came to participate in the rescue for the next 70 years.
After a heartfelt intervention before the committee, its members approved the bill and it is expected that next August it will reach the lower house of Parliament to be discussed.
About 3 thousand people died in the attacks orchestrated by the terrorist organization Al Qaeda at World Trade Center of New York, at Pentagon and near Shanksville, in Pennsylvania, and there are still about 1,100 people left to identify.
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