Comparing Self-Reported Obstructive Airway Disease in Firefighters With and Without World Trade Center Exposure

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hall, Charles B. ; Mueller, Alexandra K. ; Prezant, David J. ; Singh, Ankura ; Webber, Mayris P. ; Zeig-Owens, Rachel
• Description:
  Background: The degree to which routine, non-World Trade Center (WTC) firefighting exposures contribute to the WTC exposure-obstructive airway disease (OAD) relationship is unknown. Our objective was to compare the frequency of self-reported OAD diagnoses in WTC-exposed firefighters from the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) compared with non-WTC-exposed firefighters from other cities and the general population. Methods: A total of 9792 WTC-exposed male FDNY firefighters and 3138 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. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios of self-reported asthma and COPD diagnoses in firefighters (WTC-exposed vs. non-WTC-exposed; all firefighters vs. general population), adjusting for age, race, smoking status, and last medical visit. Results: WTC-exposed firefighters were, on average, younger on 9/11 (mean +/-SD= 40.2 +/- 7.4 vs. 44.1 +/- 9.1) and less likely to report ever-smoking (32.9% vs.41.8%) than non-WTC-exposed firefighters. Odds of any OAD and asthma were 4.5 and 6.3 times greater, respectively, in WTC-exposed versus non-WTC-exposed. Odds of COPD were also greater in WTC-exposed versus non-WTC-exposed, particularly among never-smokers. Compared with the general population, WTC-exposed firefighters had greater odds of both asthma and COPD, while then on exposed had lower odds of asthma and greater odds of COPD. Conclusions: Odds ratios for OAD diagnoses were greater in WTC-exposed firefighters versus both non-WTC-exposed and the general population after adjusting for covariates. While asthma and other OADs are known occupational hazards of firefighting, WTC exposure significantly compounded these adverse respiratory effects. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cohort Studies
  • Firefighters
  • Mental Health
  • Nervous System
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • September 11 Terrorist Attacks
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  • World Trade Center
  • WTC
  • Fire fighters
  • Cohort studies
  • Chronic diseases
  • Cancer registries
  • Health surveys
  • Worker health
  • Mental health
  • Physical fitness
  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; 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:
  9 pdf pages
• Volume:
  66
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066724
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2023 Mar; 66(3):243-251
• Contact Point Address:
  Rachel Zeig-Owens, DrPH, FDNY, Headquarters, 9 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201
• Email:
  rachel.zeig-owens@fdny.nyc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20160901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20210831
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230789/cdc_230789_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 726.79 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6e890cf568d886bc0d68b127ed66d36145000815268bcd506739d5ae59fac67c0d711ca8f50f0aa889a01c473c34762809532688759f8bcab97a5ad98808c316