Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY13) and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY14) Monday announced the appointment of Dr. John Howard, director of the federal National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to serve as the federal government's coordinator to oversee the response to Ground Zero health impacts.

The lawmakers called for the appointment of a 9/11 health coordinator on January 25th and have been working with federal Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt since then to have a seasoned health professional assume control for overseeing the monitoring and treatment of those who are injured or sick.

The lawmakers said Dr. Howard's first order of business must be ensuring that an exhaustive medical screening and monitoring program encompassing a large pool of responders and residents is operational. Dr. Howard's other responsibilities would include (but are not limited to):

• Overseeing the distribution of federal funding for programs administered through NIOSH to enhance medical screening and monitoring programs;
• Ensuring that appropriated federal dollars are dedicated to treatment,
• Bringing together the collective talents of the medical and scientific communities to help develop a plan to help all those who are ill from 9/11.

Fossella and Maloney called for the appointment of a Health Coordinator following the recent deaths of three 9/11 responders -- EMTs Timothy Keller, 41 (June 2005), Felix Hernandez, 31 (October 2005) and  NYPD Detective James Zadroga, 34 (January 2006).

It is believed that tens of thousands of first responders, federal employees and lower Manhattan residents and workers are suffering from health problems likely caused by exposure to toxins at or near the World Trade Center site, including asbestos, lead, mercury, powdered glass and other carcinogens that were stagnating in the air.

The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program found that roughly half of the 16,000 people followed have a medical condition resulting from 9/11. A New York City Fire Department study reported similar findings. Other screening programs have not fared as well. One initiative geared to State workers was terminated while another for federal rescue workers was closed after screening only 400 of the approximately 10,000 federal responders at Ground Zero.