Risk Factors for Post-9/11 Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Fire Department of the City of New York Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bachert C ; Cohen HW ; Hall CB ; Prezant DJ ; Putman B ; Schwartz T ; Singh A ; Webber MP ; Weiden MD ; Zeig-Owens R
• Description:
  OBJECTIVES: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has high socioeconomic burden but underexplored risk factors. The collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers on 11 September 2001 (9/11) caused dust and smoke exposure, leading to paranasal sinus inflammation and CRS. We aim to determine which job tasks are risk factors for CRS in WTC-exposed Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) workers. METHODS: This cohort study included a 16-year follow-up of 11 926 WTC-exposed FDNY rescue/recovery workers with data on demographics, WTC exposure, job tasks and first post-9/11 complete blood counts. Using multivariable Cox regression, we assessed the associations of WTC exposure, work assignment (firefighter/EMS), digging and rescue tasks at the WTC site and blood eosinophil counts with subsequent CRS, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The rate of CRS was higher in firefighters than EMS (1.80/100 person-years vs 0.70/100 person-years; p<0.001). The combination of digging and rescue work was a risk factor for CRS (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.94, p<0.001) independent of work assignment and WTC exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with EMS, firefighters were more likely to engage in a combination of digging and rescue work, which was a risk factor for CRS. Chronic irritant exposures associated with digging and rescue work may account for higher post-9/11 CRS rates among firefighters. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Chronic Disease Demography Dust Emergency Responders Environmental Exposure Epidemiology Firefighters Hematologic Tests Men Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks Women

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: World Trade Center Disaster Blood Analysis Chronic Diseases Chronic Rhinosinusitis Demographic Characteristics Dust Exposure Dusts Emergency Medical Services Workers Emergency Medical Technician EMS EMT Exposure Levels Fire Fighters Humans Longitudinal Studies Occupational Exposure Rescue Workers Risk Factors Smoke Inhalation Socioeconomics World Trade Center WTC

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• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• 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
• Volume:
  75
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056613
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2018 Dec; 75(12):884-889
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Michael D Weiden, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Bellevue Hospital, New York City NY 10016
• Email:
  michael.weiden@nyumc.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  New York University School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20140701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20170630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b9cfeb46f6d1ed3b83df89db09d8a8af965794037142bbd877c20e4a386d6de43a69c008266ece61dcc586f72d5a8f397aec19b264138f5888e540fd561cdc19
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214186/cdc_214186_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 466.20 KB ]