Anyone who has filed a lawsuit in regards to health issues that resulted from the September 11 attacks on New York City must soon decide whether to drop their lawsuit. If they choose to continue their suit, they will not be eligible to receive compensation from a $2.76 billion government fund set up for that purpose.

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund was established by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. Its purpose is to give financial assistance to people who are suffering from long-term health issues resulting from the dust and smoke that filled Manhattan after the 2001 attack.

Currently, the fund does not cover mesothelioma or any other ailments resulting from asbestos exposure, but they are expected to be added sometime in the near future.

But in order to qualify for the fund, potential recipients who have filed lawsuits against the city must decide whether to continue their suits or bank on the fund. Lawsuits must be withdrawn by Jan. 3, and claimants must provide proof of the withdrawal when making their application to the fund. Reports indicate that this will affect more than 1,600 people who currently have pending litigation in either state or federal court.

Because mesothelioma is not currently covered by the fund, this deadline has forced those who may have been exposed to make some difficult decisions. Because of the long latency period of the disease, there have not yet been any reports of mesothelioma as a result of the attacks. However, with 400 tons of asbestos used in the construction of the World Trade Center, there likely will be many mesothelioma diagnoses in the future.

Source: Asbestos.com, "Deadline Approaching For Pending Lawsuits Regarding 9/11 and Compensation Fund," Dec. 29, 2011