New Research Outlines Public Health Consequences of World Trade Center Disaster

Our results indicate that the environmental exposures following the WTC disaster were associated with profound adverse effects on respiratory health," said Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, chair of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and director of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Mount Sinai, and principal author of the study.

"The collapse of the towers generated thousands of tons of particulate matter comprised of cement dust, glass fibers, asbestos, lead, aromatic hydrocarbons, and organochlorine compounds, many of which significantly increased the subjects' susceptibility to bronchial spasms and asthma," said Landrigan. "These respiratory effects were most pronounced in subjects who were in or around the WTC buildings during the first 12 hours of the disaster."Previous studies have documented the acute traumatic consequences of the September 11 attacks, most notably the occurrence of 2,726 deaths, including 343 firefighters and 60 police officers. Early clinical assessments noted a high prevalence of respiratory symptoms, including persistent cough, in firefighters and rescue workers exposed to the WTC dust.The present study was designed to yield a comprehensive assessment of the health impacts of the chemical contaminants on first responders, construction workers and volunteers who worked initially in rescue and recovery, and then for several months clearing rubble and debris, and on residents who lived in the surrounding area.For their exposure assessment, the researchers focused on five primary classes of contaminants taken from samples of settled dust following the collapse of the twin towers. These included airborne particles, dioxin and other related compounds, asbestos, which was used for fire insulation in the construction of the North Tower, aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzopyrene and benzoperylene, and lead and other trace elements.Analysis of the data revealed that firefighters were among the most heavily exposed populations. Of the 10,116 firefighters who were evaluated, 332 displayed persistent cough accompanied by other respiratory symptoms so severe as to require at least 4 weeks leave of absence. "The prevalence of this 'World Trade Center' cough was directly related to the intensity of the exposure," said Landrigan.Among firefighters without the cough, many were diagnosed with bronchial hyperreactivity, a chronic condition which triggers bronchial spasms in response to ambient air pollutants such as cigarette smoke and automobile exhaust. This condition was observed in 23 percent of those with a high level of smoke exposure, and in 8 percent of those with moderate exposure. "We believe the high alkalinity of the dust was a major contributing factor to the high incidence of bronchial hyperreactivity," said Landrigan.