Deadline for Ground Zero settlement Monday

NEW YORK, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A surge of plaintiffs is expected to sign on to a settlement on toxic exposures at New York's Ground Zero, sources told the New York Daily News.

The deadline to accept the settlement with the city is Monday, with approximately 10,000 plaintiffs eligible, the newspaper said.

"Expect a last-minute rush," a source told the Daily News.

"The chances are that three or four years down the road, I'm going to be a lot sicker," retired police officer Gene Klein told the newspaper.

About 85 percent of the plaintiffs have already agreed to accept the settlement with the city, sources said. The agreement requires a 95 percent acceptance rate or else the deal will be scuttled.

Those workers who don't agree to the city deal will have to pursue individual lawsuits, which legal analysts say could take years to settle.

A $7.4 billion measure dubbed the Zadroga bill, which would give free health benefits to first responders, has passed the U.S. House and the Senate is expected to take it up next month.

The plaintiffs include police officers, firefighters, emergency workers and others exposed to toxic materials when they responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that toppled the twin towers of the World Trade Center.