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After the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, thousands of uniformed and civilian city employees assisted the police and firefighters with the rescue and recovery efforts.

Corrections officers helped people evacuate Lower Manhattan; traffic agents directed vehicles; engineers checked the safety of surrounding buildings; sanitation workers sorted through debris at Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island.

That work exposed them to toxic dust and smoke that have been linked to respiratory illnesses, heart disease and potentially cancer. But unlike police officers and firefighters, if those city workers died of illnesses related to Sept. 11 after they retired, their survivors were not eligible for health insurance benefits.

With the 18th anniversary of the attacks falling on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to change that. He will introduce a measure that would make the families of 5,000 city employees eligible to receive those benefits.