Persistent Self-Reported Ear and Hearing Problems Among World Trade Center-Exposed Firefighters and Emergency Medical Service Workers, 2001–2017 – a Longitudinal Cohort Analysis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Colbeth HL ; Hall CB ; Liu Y ; Prezant DJ ; Schwartz TM ; Webber MP ; Zeig-Owens R
• Description:
  Background: The goal of this study was to estimate the impact of exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) site on annual and persistent rates of otalgia and hearing impairment among Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Firefighters and Emergency Medical Service Workers (EMS). Methods: Responders completed routine physical health questionnaires at monitoring visits. We used logistic and marginal logistic regression models to explore the association between otalgia and hearing impairment and WTC arrival time. Results: The highest-exposed group had greater odds of persistent ear symptoms (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.11-1.59) compared with the least-exposed; the odds of persistent hearing problems between the groups were not significantly different. We found consistent WTC-exposure gradients when the average population odds of these outcomes were assessed each year. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the odds of long-term ear symptoms were significantly associated with the intensity of WTC exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Emergency Responders Firefighters Hearing Loss Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Hearing Cohort Studies Ear Disorders Emergency Medical Services Workers Emergency Responders EMS Fire Fighters First Responders Hearing Impairment Prevalence Rescue/Recovery Workers Self-report World Trade Center WTC

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• 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:
  43-49
• Volume:
  62
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054016
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2019 Jan; 62(1):43-49
• Contact Point Address:
  Rachel Zeig-Owens, DrPH, MPH, FDNY Headquarters, 9 Metrotech Center, 8N7, Brooklyn, NY 11201
• Email:
  rachel.zeig-owens@fdny.nyc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  New York City Fire Department
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20110701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20170331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1402fb14ae3cacecdf60f6d5b2162db8b6ae8fbfbf4944d3bd7a180785c3f18e4b1fbb8213783bbc10c7d369781b758403396209dc7b8f3209626e3649e53527
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216666/cdc_216666_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 620.44 KB ]