Acute eosinophilic pneumonia in a New York City firefighter exposed to World Trade Center dust

Details

• Personal Author:
  Garcia R ; McGuinness G ; Prezant D ; Roggli V ; Rom, William N. ; Tse DB ; Vathesatogkit P ; Weiden M ; Yie TA
• Description:
  We report a sentinel case of acute eosinophilic pneumonia in a firefighter exposed to high concentrations of World Trade Center dust during the rescue effort from September 11 to 24. The firefighter presented with a PaO2 of 53mmHg and responded to oxygen and corticosteroids. Computed tomography scan showed patchy ground glass density, thickened bronchial walls, and bilateral pleural effusions. Bronchoalveolar lavage recovered 70% eosinophils, with only 1% eosinophils in peripheral blood. Eosinophils were not degranulated and increased levels of interleukin-5 were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage and serum. Mineralogic analysis counted 305 commercial asbestos fibers/106 macrophages including those with high aspect ratios, and significant quantities of fly ash and degraded fibrous glass. Acute eosinophilic pneumonia is a rare consequence of acute high dust exposure. World Trade Center dust consists of large particle-size silicates, but fly ash and asbestos fibers may be found in bronchoalveolar lavage cells. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Dust Emergency Responders Firefighters Inorganic Chemicals Lung Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety

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• Keywords:
  Asbestos-dust Asbestos-fibers Author Keywords: Asbestos Dust-exposure Dusts Emergency-responders Eosinophil Exposure-levels Fire-fighters Firefighter Hazards Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Rescue-workers Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors

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• ISSN:
  1073-449X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  166
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046172
• Citation:
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2002 Sep; 166(6):797-800
• Contact Point Address:
  William N. Rom, M.D., M.P.H., Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Departments of Medicine, Environmental Medicine, Radiology and Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 530 1st Ave., New York, NY 10016
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• Performing Organization:
  New York City Fire Department
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• End Date:
  20110630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0ae75f26cb04d7a5d52f4c410436a11889e909c02387cee57c9c853a7c63f81aa33108df0888a6432d30463c28f68c09a119c5c8e696b29252e247f52e8b1527
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201301/cdc_201301_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 231.61 KB ]