Post-9/11/2001 lung function trajectories by sex and race in World Trade Center-exposed New York City emergency medical service workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aldrich TK ; Christodoulou V ; Cohen HW ; Hall CB ; Kelly KJ ; Moir W ; Nolan A ; Prezant DJ ; Schwartz T ; Vossbrinck M ; Webber MP ; Weiden MD ; Zeig-Owens R
• Description:
  Objective: To determine whether lung function trajectories after 9/11/2001 (9/11) differed by sex or race/ethnicity in World Trade Center-exposed Fire Department of the City of New York emergency medical service (EMS) workers. Method: Serial cross-sectional study of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) taken between 9/11 and 9/10/2015. We used data from routine PFTs (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and FEV1% predicted), conducted at 12-18 month intervals. FEV1 and FEV1% predicted were assessed over time, stratified by sex, and race/ethnicity. We also assessed FEV1 and FEV1% predicted in current, former and never-smokers. Results: Among 1817 EMS workers, 334 (18.4%) were women, 979 (53.9%) self-identified as white and 939 (51.6%) were never-smokers. The median follow-up was 13.1 years (IQR 10.5-13.6), and the median number of PFTs per person was 11 (IQR 7-13). After large declines associated with 9/11, there was no discernible recovery in lung function. In analyses limited to never-smokers, the trajectory of decline in adjusted FEV1 and FEV1% predicted was relatively parallel for men and women in the 3 racial/ethnic groups. Similarly, small differences in FEV1 annual decline between groups were not clinically meaningful. Analyses including ever-smokers were essentially the same. Conclusions: 14 years after 9/11, most EMS workers continued to demonstrate a lack of lung function recovery. The trajectories of lung function decline, however, were parallel by sex and by race/ethnicity. These findings support the use of routine, serial measures of lung function over time in first responders and demonstrate no sex or racial sensitivity to exposure-related lung function decline. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Lung Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks Smokers Tobacco Products
• Keywords:
  Cigarette Smoking Cross Sectional Studies Emergency Medical Services Workers Emergency Responders EMS Lung Function Pulmonary Function Rescue Workers World Trade Center WTC
• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• 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:
  200-203
• Volume:
  74
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048894
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2017 Mar; 74(3):200-203
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Mayris P. Webber, Fire Department of the City of New York, Bureau of Health Services, FDNY Headquarters, 9 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
• Email:
  mayris.webber@fdny.nyc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  New York City Fire Department
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20110701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20170331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b298febd166a1344f48e0fc1fe402e7bfa21c85382dc304d8cdda8b805bcdd289c4f5ece7acf13916055aa4bf6eb062b5c1dc688ce76d4a79f23d82a8aca3f7d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203514/cdc_203514_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 659.92 KB ]