Cognitive Impairment and World Trade Centre-Related Exposures

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bennett DA ; Brackbill R ; Bromet EJ ; Clouston SAP ; DeKosky S ; Deri Y ; Diminich ED ; Edwards J ; Farfel M ; Fausto BA ; Finch C ; Gandy S ; Hall CB ; Horton M ; Kreisl WC ; Kritikos M ; Lowe S ; Lucchini RG ; Luft BJ ; Mielke M ; Peskind ER ; Prezant D ; Rasking M ; Reibman J ; Richards M ; Rosen R ; Sano M ; Seil K ; Sloan RP ; Spiro A III ; Vasdev N ; Zeig-Owens R
• Description:
  On 11 September 2001 the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York was attacked by terrorists, causing the collapse of multiple buildings including the iconic 110-story 'Twin Towers'. Thousands of people died that day from the collapse of the buildings, fires, falling from the buildings, falling debris, or other related accidents. Survivors of the attacks, those who worked in search and rescue during and after the buildings collapsed, and those working in recovery and clean-up operations were exposed to severe psychological stressors. Concurrently, these 'WTC-affected' individuals breathed and ingested a mixture of organic and particulate neurotoxins and pro-inflammogens generated as a result of the attack and building collapse. Twenty years later, researchers have documented neurocognitive and motor dysfunctions that resemble the typical features of neurodegenerative disease in some WTC responders at midlife. Cortical atrophy, which usually manifests later in life, has also been observed in this population. Evidence indicates that neurocognitive symptoms and corresponding brain atrophy are associated with both physical exposures at the WTC and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, including regularly re-experiencing traumatic memories of the events while awake or during sleep. Despite these findings, little is understood about the long-term effects of these physical and mental exposures on the brain health of WTC-affected individuals, and the potential for neurocognitive disorders. Here, we review the existing evidence concerning neurological outcomes in WTC-affected individuals, with the aim of contextualizing this research for policymakers, researchers and clinicians and educating WTC-affected individuals and their friends and families. We conclude by providing a rationale and recommendations for monitoring the neurological health of WTC-affected individuals. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Accidents, Occupational Dust Emergencies Emergency Responders Environmental Exposure Fires Mortality Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Occupational Health Particulate Matter Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks

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• Keywords:
  Cognitive Function Emergency Responders Emergency Response Exposure Levels Falling Objects Falls Fatalities First Responders Neurological Diseases Neurological Disorders Neurological System Neurotoxic Disorders Neurotoxic Effects Neurotoxins Organic Dusts Particulates Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Psychological Stress PTSD Rescue Workers Risk Factors Stress Terrorism World Trade Center WTC

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• ISSN:
  1759-4758
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract ; Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Florida ; Illinois ; Massachusetts ; Minnesota ; New Jersey ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  103-116
• Volume:
  18
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064141
• Citation:
  Nat Rev Neurol 2022 Feb; 18(2):103-116
• Contact Point Address:
  Sean A. P. Clouston, Program in Public Health, Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
• Email:
  sean.clouston@stonybrookmedicine.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20160901
• Source Full Name:
  Nature Reviews Neurology
• End Date:
  20200831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dcd4f7ed9d862cda89ac6043732036c218d447eee2c478abab792d9e8e0841bbdbaf33fb7a94cfcec3d8b0c49517b9e9752be054dbb7a61d30b1a523804c2f1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222649/cdc_222649_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.69 MB ]