The steadily growing number of people who succumbed to 9/11-related illnesses will finally get their moment in history.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum will for the first time include a bell toll and moment of silence in its emotional annual tribute to the fallen to honor the thousands of first responders, rescue workers and residents who lost their lives in the aftermath of the terror attack, The Post has learned.
“This seventh toll of the bell represents past, present and future,” said John Feal, a 9/11 survivor and advocate for those battling illnesses related to the attacks.
“You got those who lost loved ones that day,” said Feal, a demolition specialist who worked on the Pile.
“You got people who lost loved ones over the last 25 years. You got people who are suffering now. You got people who are going to die in the future. I think all of these groups collectively will embrace that seventh moment of silence.
The museum’s televised yearly memorial service at the base of Ground Zero has previously included six bell tolls accompanied by moments of silence to coincide with the exact times that the Pentagon and each of the two World Trade Center towers were struck by hijacked planes, when the towers fell and as Flt. 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.
The new seventh toll and moment of silence — to be introduced on the 25th anniversary of the attacks thiis fall — will not be tied to a specific time.
Instead, the moment will be marked at the conclusion of the reading of the names of those killed that day and will then be a permanent part of the annual ceremony moving forward, the memorial and museum announced.
The attacks killed 2,977 people on 9/11, but countless others have died in the two decades since from breathing in asbestos, pulverized concrete and other carcinogens left from the attacks — including 360 FDNY heroes.
There are currently 143,340 survivors — including 88,014 responders — enrolled in the World Trade Center Health program, according to a May report.
The new moment of silence for post-9/11 victims was years in the making and comes at the behest of advocates including Feal, who has fought for years for legislation that protects 9/11 survivors facing chronic illnesses.
“There’s no measurement for the amount of pain, suffering and agony and carnage and devastation and destruction that we’ve been through over the last 25 years because of that ripple effect from that Tuesday morning,” Feal said.
“The museum is proving the ultimate honor of that seventh bell to offer some sort of comfort, to offer some sort of empathy, to offer some sort of compassion, and it’s letting the 9/11 community know that they’re seen and they’re heard. That we understand what you’ve been through and we’re here for you,” he said.
The new moment of silence also offers the opportunity for the next generation of Americans to understand the spirit and heroism of those who responded to the attacks and continued contributing to the neighborhood despite not knowing what effects the toxic air would bring years down the line.
In addition, the move allows the museum to educate people on how intense and far-reaching the terror attacks’ impacts are, even a quarter of a century later.
“The story of the health effects of 9/11 has always been a part of the story. It’s just become more of a centerpiece as time goes on because the consequences are becoming clear over a longer period of time,” said Beth Hillman, president and CEO of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
“The eyes of the world will be upon us for the 25th anniversary of 9/11. … We have an opportunity to make a change at a time when people will notice. And it’s absolutely the right time to do this.”
The moment of silence comes six years after the museum dedicated the 9/11 Memorial Glade to those who died or are suffering from health-related issues.
