Fifty-eight types of cancer were added to a program that treats first responders and survivors suffering from toxins emitted from the World Trade Center wreckage. Tomorrow marks 11 years since the twin towers crumbled. In the years since the attack, many exposed to the poisons in the rubble have insisted to the government that their cancer was linked to 9/11.

Today The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health announced that those affected by the newly added cancers will be covered for free under the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act 30 days after the additions are published in the Federal Register.

The firefighters and emergency personnel who risked their lives at Ground Zero didn't question their duty to act. Some of the heroes became victims, and their illnesses became another painful part of the tragedy. The fight for compensation outlived those who lost the battle with cancer.

Anderson Cooper speaks with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the government’s decision to acknowledge 9/11 first responders’ cancers. “There was no precedent for this, and I think that’s part of why it took so long,” Gupta said. He explains why the jet fuel and materials created a life-threatening combination that doctors had never seen before.

Tune in tonight at 8 & 10 p.m. ET for that interview and more on the news.

UPDATE. Watch tonight's interview below.



