Case Report: Lung Disease in World Trade Center Responders Exposed to Dust and Smoke: Carbon Nanotubes Found in the Lungs of World Trade Center Patients and Dust Samples

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Environ Health Perspect
• Personal Author:
  Wu, Maoxin ; Gordon, Ronald E. ; Herbert, Robin ; Padilla, Maria ; Moline, Jacqueline ; Mendelson, David ; Litle, Virginia ; Travis, William D. ; Gil, Joan
• Description:
  Context
  
  After the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 11 September 2001, a dense cloud of dust containing high levels of airborne pollutants covered Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, New York. Between 60,000 and 70,000 responders were exposed. Many reported adverse health effects.
  
  Case presentation
  
  In this report we describe clinical, pathologic, and mineralogic findings in seven previously healthy responders who were exposed to WTC dust on either 11 September or 12 September 2001, who developed severe respiratory impairment or unexplained radiologic findings and underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical lung biopsy procedures at Mount Sinai Medical Center. WTC dust samples were also examined. We found that three of the seven responders had severe or moderate restrictive disease clinically. Histopathology showed interstitial lung disease consistent with small airways disease, bronchiolocentric parenchymal disease, and nonnecrotizing granulomatous condition. Tissue mineralogic analyses showed variable amounts of sheets of aluminum and magnesium silicates, chrysotile asbestos, calcium phosphate, and calcium sulfate. Small shards of glass containing mostly silica and magnesium were also found. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) of various sizes and lengths were noted. CNT were also identified in four of seven WTC dust samples.
  
  Discussion
  
  These findings confirm the previously reported association between WTC dust exposure and bronchiolar and interstitial lung disease. Long-term monitoring of responders will be needed to elucidate the full extent of this problem. The finding of CNT in both WTC dust and lung tissues is unexpected and requires further study.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Bronchiolitis Carbon Nanotubes Dust Environmental Exposure Female Humans Interstitial Lung Disease In Vitro Techniques Lung Lung Diseases Male Middle Aged Nanotubes, Carbon Research September 11 Terrorist Attacks Small Airway Disease Smoke WTC

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• Source:
  Environ Health Perspect. 2010; 118(4):499-504.
• Pubmed ID:
  20368128
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC2854726
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  3U10 OH008225/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States ; 5U1O 0H008232-04/PHS HHS/United States
• Volume:
  118
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:51bb17743bbc6c87b8f9bdb8fb5f7d0f22225960c1f0b683a199fb03ff1b57e7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/22915/cdc_22915_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.31 MB ]