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Survey finds elevated rates of new asthma among WTC rescue and recovery workers
August 28, 2007New findings from the World Trade Center health registry indicate that respirators helped reduce the risk of developing asthma
Findings released today by the Health Department shed new light on the health effects of exposure to dust and debris among workers who responded to the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001. The data, drawn from the World Trade Center Health Registry, show that 3.6% of the 25,000 rescue and recovery workers enrolled in the Registry report developing asthma after working at the site. That rate is 12 times what would be normally expected for the adult population during such a time period. The paper was published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and is available online at www.ehponline.org.
The rescue and recovery workers are a subset of the 71,000 people enrolled in the registry. The survey, conducted in 2003 and 2004, found that arriving soon after the buildings collapsed, or working on the WTC pile over a long period, increased the workers' risk of developing asthma. Workers who arrived on September 11, 2001, and worked more than 90 days reported the highest rate of new asthma (7%).
Though respirator use increased as the clean-up progressed, many workers did not wear respiratory protection at the outset. Certain respirators can reduce exposure to hazardous dust when used correctly, but the survey could not distinguish among different types of masks or respirators, nor could it gauge correct usage. Workers who wore them on September 11th and September 12th reported newly-diagnosed asthma at lower rates (4.0% and 2.9%, respectively) than those who did not (6.3% and 4.5%). The longer the period of not wearing masks or respirators, the greater the risk, the survey found. Workers who went months without respiratory protection reported two to three times more asthma incidence than those who wore respirators from the outset. Though respirators were shown to be protective, all worker groups, including those who reported wearing masks, had elevated levels of newly reported asthma.
"The dust from the World Trade Center collapse appears to have had significant respiratory health effects at least for people who worked at the site," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City Health Commissioner. "These findings reflect the critical importance of getting appropriate respiratory protection to all workers as quickly as possible during a disaster, and making every effort to make sure workers wear them at all times. The events of 9/11 were unprecedented, and with the urgency of rescue operations and the difficulty of prolonged physical exertion with most types of respirators, there are no easy answers, even in retrospect."
Rescue and recovery workers were a diverse group that included firefighters, police officers, construction workers and volunteers, among others. The study found no significant differences among people of different occupations, but workers' locations did affect their risk. Those who were caught in the dust cloud or worked on the debris pile reported asthma at higher rates (4.9% and 4.5% respectively), presumably because they inhaled more dust.
Asthma can be controlled with the right care and medications. Inhaled corticosteroids are a very effective treatment for people with frequent symptoms. By learning what triggers asthma and developing a plan to manage it, people can stay healthy for work, school, and other activities. The Health Department has collaborated with clinicians from WTC Centers of Excellence to develop and distribute treatment guidelines for WTC-related respiratory condition. The guidelines are available at http://home2.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/chi/chi25-7.pdf.
Update on Efforts to Learn More about WTC-Related Illness
The World Trade Center Health Registry, the largest public health registry in U.S. history, was launched in 2003 to track the health of people exposed to the collapse of the World Trade Center and those who worked at the WTC site. The registry is a collaborative effort involving the Health Department, the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), with funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The Health Department is now re-surveying all 71,000 registrants to learn more about their current health status. So far, nearly 60% of registrants have responded. The re-survey will help determine whether respiratory and mental health conditions have persisted five to six years after the disaster. Because of its size, the registry can illuminate patterns that would elude individual physicians and provide valuable guidance to affected groups. Previous findings from the WTC Health Registry can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wtc/materials.html.
The Health Department is conducting a separate study of respiratory health among registrants, and is analyzing records to see whether the disaster has affected cancer incidence. The Health Department - along with the Fire Department, Mount Sinai Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital - is also updating last year's guidelines for treating adults with WTC-related illness. A similar group of experts is developing guidelines for treating affected children.
New York City Health Department
Though respirator use increased as the clean-up progressed, many workers did not wear respiratory protection at the outset. Certain respirators can reduce exposure to hazardous dust when used correctly, but the survey could not distinguish among different types of masks or respirators, nor could it gauge correct usage. Workers who wore them on September 11th and September 12th reported newly-diagnosed asthma at lower rates (4.0% and 2.9%, respectively) than those who did not (6.3% and 4.5%). The longer the period of not wearing masks or respirators, the greater the risk, the survey found. Workers who went months without respiratory protection reported two to three times more asthma incidence than those who wore respirators from the outset. Though respirators were shown to be protective, all worker groups, including those who reported wearing masks, had elevated levels of newly reported asthma.
"The dust from the World Trade Center collapse appears to have had significant respiratory health effects at least for people who worked at the site," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City Health Commissioner. "These findings reflect the critical importance of getting appropriate respiratory protection to all workers as quickly as possible during a disaster, and making every effort to make sure workers wear them at all times. The events of 9/11 were unprecedented, and with the urgency of rescue operations and the difficulty of prolonged physical exertion with most types of respirators, there are no easy answers, even in retrospect."
Rescue and recovery workers were a diverse group that included firefighters, police officers, construction workers and volunteers, among others. The study found no significant differences among people of different occupations, but workers' locations did affect their risk. Those who were caught in the dust cloud or worked on the debris pile reported asthma at higher rates (4.9% and 4.5% respectively), presumably because they inhaled more dust.
Asthma can be controlled with the right care and medications. Inhaled corticosteroids are a very effective treatment for people with frequent symptoms. By learning what triggers asthma and developing a plan to manage it, people can stay healthy for work, school, and other activities. The Health Department has collaborated with clinicians from WTC Centers of Excellence to develop and distribute treatment guidelines for WTC-related respiratory condition. The guidelines are available at http://home2.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/chi/chi25-7.pdf.
Update on Efforts to Learn More about WTC-Related Illness
The World Trade Center Health Registry, the largest public health registry in U.S. history, was launched in 2003 to track the health of people exposed to the collapse of the World Trade Center and those who worked at the WTC site. The registry is a collaborative effort involving the Health Department, the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), with funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The Health Department is now re-surveying all 71,000 registrants to learn more about their current health status. So far, nearly 60% of registrants have responded. The re-survey will help determine whether respiratory and mental health conditions have persisted five to six years after the disaster. Because of its size, the registry can illuminate patterns that would elude individual physicians and provide valuable guidance to affected groups. Previous findings from the WTC Health Registry can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wtc/materials.html.
The Health Department is conducting a separate study of respiratory health among registrants, and is analyzing records to see whether the disaster has affected cancer incidence. The Health Department - along with the Fire Department, Mount Sinai Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital - is also updating last year's guidelines for treating adults with WTC-related illness. A similar group of experts is developing guidelines for treating affected children.
New York City Health Department
World Trade Center Current Events and World Trade Center News RSSNovember 20, 2008 blue divider NIST Releases Final WTC 7 Investigation Report
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today released its final report on the Sept. 11, 2001, collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center building 7 (WTC 7) in New York City.
Baked slug: New method to test fireproofing material
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1 in 8 Lower Manhattan residents had signs of PTSD 2 to 3 years after 9-11
For many residents of Lower Manhattan, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, had lasting psychological consequences. New findings, released today by the Health Department's World Trade Center Health Registry, show that one in eight Lower Manhattan residents likely had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) two to three years after the attacks.
Study: Counseling trauma victims causes secondary trauma
Hearing repeated stories of suffering from trauma victims causes serious psychological stress in clinical social workers, a new Geisinger-led study suggests.
Peace paradox and air terror
Peace agreements, stability and regional prosperity, in an interesting paradox, increase the risk of air terror in Israel, according to new research conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Ron Tuegeman under the supervision of Prof. Arnon Sofer of the University of Haifa.
Rich Terrorist, Poor Terrorist
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Research with squirrels provides clues on hormone's role in human learning
Tests on the influence that a stress-related hormone has on learning in ground squirrels could have an impact on understanding how it influences human learning, according to a University of Chicago researcher.
New software advances photo search and management in online systems
Searching for digital photographs could become easier with a Penn State-developed software system that not only automatically tags images as they are uploaded, but also improves those tags by "learning" from users' interactions with the system.
1 in 8 World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers developed post-traumatic stress disorder
Thousands of World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers were still suffering serious mental health effects three years after the disaster, the Health Department reported today.
Exposure to trauma can affect brain function in healthy people several years after event
Exposure to trauma may create enough changes in the brain to sensitize people to overreact to an innocuous facial gesture years later, even in people who don't have a stress-related disorder, says new research.
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