George Pataki reveals respiratory illness 25 years after exposure at Ground Zero during 9/11

George Pataki revealed that he suffers from a respiratory illness related to his exposure to toxic dust at "Ground Zero" during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the former Republican governor of New York spoke for the first time about his condition in an interview with The New York Post.

Pataki, 81, served as governor of New York State from 1995 to 2006, becoming the last Republican to hold the office. He later ran for president in 2015 but withdrew from the race before the primaries began. As he told the aforementioned publication, he was diagnosed five years ago with a respiratory condition that restricts airflow in his lungs.

Following the terrorist attacks, Pataki worked alongside New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to coordinate the area's recovery and oversee plans to rebuild the World Trade Center. In the years that followed, the governor spearheaded the creation of a memorial for the victims, supported the project that would eventually become One World Trade Center and promoted investments in transportation, tourism and economic activity to revitalize Lower Manhattan.

In the days following the attacks, then-Governor Pataki visited "Ground Zero" and participated in the state's response to the tragedy. The term refers to the approximately 64,000-square-meter area of Lower Manhattan where the Twin Towers stood before the attacks.

In this context, Pataki spoke for the first time about his condition. "I just look at it as I’m one of the lucky ones. You know, 25 years later, I feel great. I have this minor residual impact from that time. But compared to so many others, I consider myself very lucky," the former governor told The New York Post.

According to the aforementioned publication, the illness is linked to the toxic dust and fine particles that filled the air in Lower Manhattan after the towers collapsed.