Respiratory symptoms and physiologic assessment of ironworkers at the World Trade Center site

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fischler D ; Goldman C ; Goldman M ; Levin S ; Schechter C ; Skloot G ; Teirstein A
• Description:
  STUDY OBJECTIVES: To characterize respiratory abnormalities in a convenience sample of ironworkers exposed at the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site for varying lengths of time between September 11, 2001, and February 8, 2002. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: The Mount Sinai Medical Center, a large tertiary hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-six ironworkers engaged in rescue and recovery with exposure onset between September 11, 2001, and September 15, 2001, who responded to an invitation to undergo respiratory evaluation. MEASUREMENTS: Medical and exposure history, physical examination, spirometry, forced oscillation (FO), and chest radiographs. The relationships of prevalence of respiratory symptoms and presence of obstructive physiology to smoking, exposure on September 11, duration of exposure, and type of respiratory protection were examined using univariate and linear and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Seventy-four of 96 workers (77%) had one or more respiratory symptoms (similar in smokers [49 of 63 subjects, 78%] and nonsmokers [25 of 33 subjects, 76%]). Cough was the most common symptom (62 of 96 subjects, 65%), and was associated with exposure on September 11. Chest examination and radiograph findings were abnormal in 10 subjects (10%) and 19 subjects (20%), respectively. FO revealed dysfunction in 34 of 64 subjects tested (53%), while spirometry suggested obstruction in only 11 subjects (17%). Lack of a respirator with canister was a risk factor for large airway dysfunction, and cigarette smoking was a risk factor for small airway dysfunction. No other relationships reached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory symptoms occurred in the majority of ironworkers at the WTC disaster site and were not attributable to smoking. Exposure on September 11 was associated with a greater prevalence of cough. Objective evidence of lung disease was less common. Spirometry underestimated the prevalence of lung function abnormalities in comparison to FO. Continuing evaluation of symptoms, chest radiographs, and airway dysfunction should determine whether long-term clinical sequelae will exist. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Construction Industry Construction Materials Emergency Responders Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Ferrous Compounds Irritants Men Metal Workers Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Radiation Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Smokers Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Age-groups Author Keywords: Exposure Construction Construction-materials Construction-workers Environmental-hazards Etiology Exposure-levels Forced Oscillation Humans Iron-workers Iron-working-industry Ironworkers Oscillography Physiological-effects Physiology Radiography Rescue-workers Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Respiratory-system-disorders September 11, 2001 Smoking Spirometry Work-environment Workers World Trade Center Disaster

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• ISSN:
  0012-3692
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  125
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046003
• Citation:
  Chest 2004 Apr; 125(4):1248-1255
• Contact Point Address:
  Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1232, New York, NY 10029
• Email:
  Gwen.Skloot@msnyuhealth.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040601
• Source Full Name:
  Chest
• End Date:
  20100531
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:68ee696203d15368c288841b48718e3e7e6e5167f85b25707d609fc75f095e75e63a4ff9b89ce8813e6a17aa7ce330abfc657f788642898da1613fa33cea7999
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201200/cdc_201200_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 101.25 KB ]