As the seven-year anniversary of the September 11 World Trade Center attacks approaches, studies are showing that for many of those who aided in rescue and recovery efforts, physical and psychological ailments continue to be a problem.

One of the biggest question marks surrounding the lingering ailments is the effect of the dust-laden air surrounding the collapse of the WTC towers. "What was in the air that day? Pretty much everything that had been in two 100-story buildings--but in vaporized form," says Mike Magee, M.D.

Magee goes on to say "The problem is that it is possible we were not measuring the right things at the time. For example, we are now learning the dangers of nanotubes, micro-miniaturized rolled up sheets of carbon that may be of future use in electronics. A study revealed that mice exposed to the substance responded with cancer development in the same way as when exposed to asbestos. There were no nanotubes in the Twin Towers, and asbestos measures at the time were supposed to be OK. But what about all the other vaporized computers, electronics and building materials we'd never expect to be in our air under normal circumstances?"

The full scope of physical and psychological problems stemming from the September 11 attacks may not be known for many years and there are certainly many challenges that lie ahead. Experts predict that it’s likely we will see problems surrounding 9/11-related illnesses for years to come and that thousands of these individuals will likely need lifelong care.