A judge has said that about 10,000 people who say their health was damaged at the World Trade Center site in New York must now decide on a $712.5 million settlement.

The New York Times has reported that at least 95 percent of the claimants must opt in for the settlement to take effect. The deadline is Sept. 30.

It has been reported that U. S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein gave formal approval to the plan after a daylong hearing that included testimony from those who support the settlement and those who do not.

He said, "It is fair in amount, it is fair in procedure."

It was further noted by the report that the settlement covers emergency workers, including police officers and firefighters, and volunteers who were at the World Trade Center site during rescue and cleanup after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

The method of calculating damages, which combines both the severity of the health problems a victim has with how closely the cause can be tied to the World Trade Center is not liked by some of those who objected to the settlement.

The newspaper further said that people with asthma and other respiratory diseases are likely to get more money than those with cancer because causation is clearer. (With Inputs from Agencies)