Fox Broadcast reporters in the media room at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

Fox News correspondent Eric Shawn said on a live broadcast this week he's been diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to toxins following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The reporter, in the field during the shoot, revealed his personal health diagnosis during a Fox & Friends' show covering the memorial ceremony marking 24 years since hijacked airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon just outside Washington D.C., and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

During the shot, Shawn told his colleagues he was diagnosed with cancer this year after covering the attack in lower Manhattan.

The correspondent also reported an uptick in Sept. 11, 2001-linked cancer diagnosis from site of the tragedy, then revealed his own cancer diagnosis.

What did Eric Shawn say on Fox & Friends?

"It has been nearly a quarter of a century since that day, when radical Islamic terrorists attacked the heart our our city and country," Shawn said during the broadcast.

According to information from the outlet, more than 3,700 first responders have died since 9/11, about 2,300 had cancer, and this year the CDC said "the number of people diagnosed with cancers because of the exposure from the dust has soured."

"If you were below Canal Street, basically, you were exposed to the dust. I was here reporting on it," Shawn said. "I think of all those who are suffering much greater … I’ve lost a few friends from this, of course."

"While 2,977 people were murdered here that day... the number who have died from 9/11-related illnesses has increased from the toxic dust that was released," the correspondent continued.

Shawn, who said he watched one of the planes fly over him that day, said he suffers from respiratory issues and cancer "directly related to the attack."

He did not elaborate.

In addition, during the livestream, he gave statistics showing nearly 48,000 people have reported Sept. 11-related cancers since 9-11, with "nearly 10,000 diagnosed" over the past few months.

USA TODAY has reached out to FOX for comment.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fox News correspondent reveals he was diagnosed with cancer due to 9-11 toxins

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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