Risk factors for COVID-19 in a retired FDNY WTC-exposed cohort.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cleven KL ; Goldfarb DG ; Prezant DJ ; Schwartz T ; Zeig-Owens R
• Description:
  We evaluated the incidence and risk factors for COVID-19 in a prospectively followed cohort of Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed workers, thus reducing the potential for selection bias, a limitation in published studies of hospitalized individuals. Participants were retired FDNY WTC-exposed rescue/recovery workers with ≥ 1 medical visit between 1 March 2020 and 1 August 2021. The cumulative incidence was calculated using self-reported COVID-19 diagnoses. Cox regression was performed to evaluate the association of WTC-exposure and COVID-19, adjusting for history of comorbidities, age, race, work assignment (emergency medical service providers vs. firefighter), and sex. The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was 130 per 1000. The adjusted models showed the risk of infection was greater in those with highest WTC exposure versus less exposure (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.14 (95% CI 1.00-1.31)). Older age was associated with a lower risk of infection HR = 0.97 (95% CI 0.96-0.98). WTC-associated diseases (obstructive airways disease and interstitial lung disease) were not COVID-19 risk factors. This study is the first to show an association between WTC exposure and the risk of COVID-19. While participants are retired from FDNY work, the youngest individuals may still be in the workforce, explaining why younger age was a significant risk for COVID-19. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Communicable Diseases Firefighters Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks Viral Diseases

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: World Trade Center; COVID-19; FDNY; Fire Department Of City Of New York Occupational Lung Disease WTC; World Trade Center; Fire Fighters; Risk Factors; Disease Incidence; COVID-19; Viral Infections; Cohort Studies; Occupational Respiratory Disease; Lung Disease;
• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• 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
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  15
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065712
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Aug; 19(15):8891
• Contact Point Address:
  Krystal L. Cleven, Pulmonary Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10467, USA
• Email:
  kcleven@montefiore.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  New York City Fire Department
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2a04a8d7f58f4fb79377a3371e184de6f63c5f5899f600468c398c2c2a8706be600982b09fdc50b100c71a79ace14e7f5bb45ecaa9a700942f54171746d283af
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249523/cdc_249523_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 634.60 KB ]