BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A former New York State Trooper last assigned to Dunkirk died Thursday due to an illness related to responding to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, state police said.

Mark Ondus was 56 years old when he died. He was assigned in and around the World Trade Center and suffered from an unnamed illness following the assignment.

Around 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants around Sept. 11, causing many types of cancer, aerodigestive disorders, and musculoskeletal disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ondus worked for New York State Police for 26 years before his retirement in 2021. He was last assigned to Troop T for the state thruway in Dunkirk.

Ondus leaves behind his wife and four childr

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