Self-Reported Obstructive Airway Disease in WTC-Exposed Firefighters Compared with Non-WTC-Exposed Firefighters

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hall CB ; Mueller A ; Prezant DJ ; Singh A ; Webber MP ; Zeig-Owens R
• Description:
  Background: Firefighting has been associated with respiratory conditions, both nationally and internationally. Among firefighters, rescue/recovery work at the World Trade Center (WTC) on 9/11/01 is associated with obstructive airway disease (OAD) including diagnoses of asthma, emphysema/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchitis. The degree to which routine, non-WTC firefighting exposures contribute to the WTC-exposure-OAD relationship is unknown. Objective: To compare self-reported OAD diagnoses in WTC-exposed firefighters from the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) to those from a cohort of non-WTC-exposed firefighters from other cities. Methods: 10,803 WTC-exposed male FDNY firefighters who receive routine monitoring and 3,129 non-WTC-exposed male firefighters from Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco who were actively employed on 9/11/01 and completed a health questionnaire were included in analyses. Logistic regression estimated ORs of self-reported OAD diagnoses in WTC-exposed to non-WTC-exposed firefighters, adjusting for age, race, and smoking status. Results: WTC-exposed firefighters were slightly younger on 9/11 on average (Mean+/-SD=40.0+/-7.7 vs. 43.6+/-8.9) and less likely to report ever smoking (32.3% vs. 43.7%) compared to non-WTC-exposed firefighters. All WTC-exposed firefighters (100%) had a recent medical visit through the WTC Health Program; nearly 90% of non-WTC-exposed firefighters had seen a medical professional within the year prior to data collection. Odds of self-reported OAD diagnoses were 3.7 times greater in WTC-exposed compared to non-WTC-exposed. Odds of self-reported asthma were over five times greater in those WTC-exposed (Figure). Conclusion: Odds of all self-reported OAD diagnoses were greater in WTC-exposed compared to non-WTC-exposed after adjusting for covariates. While asthma and other OAD are known occupational hazards of firefighting, WTC exposure significantly compounded these adverse respiratory health effects. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma Asthma, Occupational Cohort Studies Firefighters Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Keywords:
  Airway Obstruction Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Cohort Studies COPD Fire Fighters World Trade Center WTC
• Publisher:
  Society for Epidemiologic Research
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Illinois ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069623
• Citation:
  52nd Annual Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Meeting, June 14-17, 2022, Chicago, Illinois. Clearfield, UT: Society for Epidemiologic Research, 2022 Jun; :171
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20190101
• Source Full Name:
  52nd Annual Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Meeting, June 14-17, 2022, Chicago, Illinois
• End Date:
  20230831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:23f1a70fd0ba9746553a5c1205ef09a04b1cd08a8876d8348cfabe20db7e11295a88ba541509469bd006e64f2fe0e4c957a5364e43a69ef56fe20623a68d46ba
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208013/cdc_208013_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 213.23 KB ]