The Ocean County, N.J., medical examiner has found that the death of 34-year-old former NYPD Detective James Zadroga, who put in many hours working at Ground Zero and succumbed to respiratory failure on Jan. 5, was “with a reasonable degree of medical certainty... directly related to the 9/11 incident.”

“I cannot personally understand that anyone could see what I saw in the lungs,” said Dr. Gerard Breton after performing an autopsy, “and know that the person was exposed to Ground Zero, and not make the same link I made.”

And apparently Det. Zadroga’s case is only one of countless instances in which members of the NYPD service paid with their health and sometimes their lives because of their selfless work at Ground Zero and related sites in the rescue-and-recovery effort in the months after 9/11. They have suffered respiratory ailments, skin disease, coronary complications, cancer and other serious and sometimes terminal illnesses, and, in a still uncounted number of cases, death.

As PBA President Pat Lynch urged in a recent opinion piece published in the Daily News, officials must act quickly to provide oversight, extra resources, more effective monitoring and diagnosis, better information and the best available treatment for all our affected members. “We cannot wait for another first responder to die before something is done,” wrote Lynch. “These measures must be implemented immediately. It’s a matter of life and death.”

As both the scientific and anecdotal evidence mounts that exposure to contaminated air at Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills landfill, on the barges and at the city morgue was hazardous to your health, those of you who worked at those sites should take the appropriate steps to guard against any harmful effects from the experience. You should monitor your health very carefully and report to your PBA delegate and/or executive board member any problems that you believe may be connected to your work at the sites.

Also, whether you are experiencing symptoms or not, we direct your attention to the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program coordinated by Mount Sinai Medical Center and, if necessary, the Health Effects Treatment Program.

Under the federally funded program, which is specifically designed to track the health of post-9/11 responders, you are eligible for free, periodic and confidential medical examinations over the next four years — and longer if the funding continues. That means you get a complete check-up every 18 months, including medical and work history analyses, blood tests, urinalyses, breathing tests, and evaluations of any stress-related health issues. And after each exam, you get a confidential report with your test results. No one else gets your information without your written permission.

Early detection will help you get expert care and the most effective treatment by doctors trained to address 9/11-rescue-and-recovery-related illnesses. And if it is determined that you in fact have a 9/11-related illness, you will receive treatment with no out-of-pocket costs to you (your insurance provider may be charged for some fees). To explore the possibility of participating, call 1-888-702-0630. Clinical centers are located in Manhattan, Queens, Long Island and New Jersey.