The World Trade Center Residents’ Respiratory Health Study: New-Onset Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Function

Details

• Journal Article:
  Environ Health Perspect
• Personal Author:
  Reibman, Joan ; Lin, Shao ; Hwang, Syni-An A. ; Gulati, Mridu ; Bowers, James A. ; Rogers, Linda ; Berger, Kenneth I. ; Hoerning, Anne ; Gomez, Marta ; Fitzgerald, Edward F.
• Description:
  The destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 11 September 2001 in New York City resulted in the massive release of pulverized dust and combustion products. The dust and smoke settled in the surrounding area, which encompassed a large residential community. We hypothesized that previously normal residents in the community surrounding the former WTC would have an increased incidence of persistent respiratory symptoms and abnormalities in screening spirometry. A hybrid cross-sectional and retrospective cohort study using a symptom-based questionnaire and onsite screening spirometry in residents in an exposed area and in a control area was performed 12 +/- 4 months after the collapse. Surveys were analyzed from 2,812 residents. New-onset respiratory symptoms were described by 55.8% of residents in the exposed area, compared with 20.1% in the control area after the event. Persistent new-onset symptoms were identified in 26.4 versus 7.5% of residents in the exposed area versus control area, respectively. No differences in screening spirometry between the groups were detected. A small pilot study suggested the possibility of an increase in bronchial hyperresponsiveness in exposed participants with persistent symptoms. The data demonstrate an increased rate of new-onset and persistent respiratory health effects in residents near the former WTC compared with a control population.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution Cohort Studies Construction Materials Cough Cross-Sectional Studies Dust Dyspnea Environmental Exposure Residence Characteristics Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases September 11 Terrorist Attacks Spirometry

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Asthma; Environmental Disasters; Environmental Hazards; Reactive Airways Dysfunction; World Trade Center World Trade Center; WTC; Respiratory Health; Respiratory System Disorders; Pulmonary System; Pulmonary System Disorders; Dusts; Dust Exposure; Combustion; Combustion Products; Spirometry; Humans; Men; Women; Questionnaires; Statistical Analysis; Health Effects; Exposure Levels; Risk Factors; Bronchial Asthma; Environmental Exposure;
• Source:
  Environ Health Perspect. 113(4):406-411.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  M01RR00096/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United States ; P30 ES00260/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; U1Q/CCU221059/CC/ODCDC CDC HHS/United States
• 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:
  6 pdf pages
• Volume:
  113
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050786
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  New York State Department of Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5e1bece7008a4ad4d783724197b3cfb63cad404003638e680acca552925d13901ea9c11ee9a6c07510b5fab23d53635d75ecccf4fc792904fae1656bcfd73a2b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/31150/cdc_31150_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 134.45 KB ]