Ground Zero cancer victims to get compensation

NEW YORK (AFP) - About 50 types of cancer have been added to the list of diseases eligible for coverage in a compensation program for people who became sick after the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse on Sept 11, 2001, officials said on Monday.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said it had confirmed a recommendation made in June to include the cancers, which break up into 14 categories.

"The final rule adds to the list of WTC-related health conditions each of the types of cancer proposed," WTC health program administrator John Howard said in a statement.

A US$4.3 billion fund (S$5.3 billion) is available for 9/11 health victims but until now cancer sufferers - believed to be in the many hundreds - have not been able to place claims of their own. The new rule will take effect in mid-October.