Occupational toxicant inhalation injury: the World Trade Center (WTC) experience

Details

• Personal Author:
  Afilaka AA ; Bienenfeld LA ; Chasan R ; de la Hoz RE ; Herbert R ; Levin SM ; Shohet MR
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: Clinical descriptive data is presented on a group of 554 former workers and volunteers (with more than 90 different occupations) at the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site. A subsample of 168 workers (30% of the group) was selected to examine lower airway disease risk in relation to smoking and WTC exposure variables. RESULTS: Five diagnostic categories clearly predominate: upper airway disease (78.5%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (57.6%), lower airway disease (48.9%), psychological (41.9%) and chronic musculoskeletal illnesses (17.8%). The most frequent pattern of presentation was a combination of the first three of those categories (29.8%). Associations were found between arrival at the WTC site within the first 48 h of the terrorist attack and lower airway and gastroesophageal reflux disease, and between past or present cigarette smoking and lower airway disease. CONCLUSION: Occupational exposures at the WTC remain consistently associated with a disease profile, which includes five major diagnostic categories. These conditions often coexist in different combinations, which (as expected) mutually enhances their clinical expression, complicates medical management, and slows recovery. Cigarette smoking and early arrival at the WTC site appear to be risk factors for lower airway disease diagnosis. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Asthma Asthma, Occupational Digestive System Digestive System Diseases Emergency Responders Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Lung Men Mental Disorders Mental Health Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Smokers Women

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• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Author Keywords: Occupational Medicine Emergency-responders Etiology Exposure-levels Gastrointestinal-system Gastrointestinal-system-disorders Humans Inhalation Injury Irritant Exposures Mental-disorders Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Physiopathology Psychological-reactions Psychology Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Rescue-workers Respiratory-system-disorders Respiratory Diseases Risk-factors Smoking Toxins

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• ISSN:
  0340-0131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  479-485
• Volume:
  81
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045859
• Citation:
  Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2008 Feb; 81(4):479-485
• Contact Point Address:
  L. A. Bienenfeld, Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, and Medicine, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, WTC Health EVects Treatment Program, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1059, New York, NY 10029
• Email:
  Rafael.delaHoz@mssm.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040601
• Source Full Name:
  International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
• End Date:
  20100531
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:717a39e6cdb7f20cf605840a387ac968189bad96d17f3fd2349da990fa30dfc940d3f6e44cec654e739ebad2494a813223f5cbe1f63431e1a5ba8f7f9a476579
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201115/cdc_201115_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 269.06 KB ]