New York, NY: (May-24-07) The death toll resulting from the 9-11 incident in New York officially went up to 2,750, after Felicia Dunn-Jones, a 42-year-old attorney, died of lung disease five months after Sept. 11. Dunn-Jones was added on the medical examiner's list of attack victims. Dunn-Jones' death, caused by sarcoidosis, a disease that causes inflammation and scarring in the lungs, was the first time the city has officially linked a death to the toxic dust caused by the World Trade Center's collapse. A class action lawsuit has claimed dozens of deaths have been caused by exposure to toxic trade center dust.
A New Jersey medical examiner last year ruled that the January 2006 death of a retired police detective, 34-year-old James Zadroga, was directly related to his work at ground zero on and after Sept. 11. In a settlement with the federal government, Dunn-Jones' estate received a $2.6 million death benefit from a federal fund to compensate victims' families. [
