9/11 Rescuers Had More Lung Problems Than First Thought
Pulmonary-function tests showed that the prevalence of abnormalities was at twice the rate found in the general population. Rates of pneumonia during the six months following the attacks were much higher among rescue and recovery workers, when compared to the general population, says the report.
The report writes that the severity of symptoms seemed to be linked to how quickly rescuers arrived - those who arrived at the scene first suffered the most from respiratory problems.
The report states that many with worsened respiratory symptoms continued to have them for over two-and-a-half years after the attack. Particles of heavy metals, such as nickel, titanium and cadmium were breathed in by the rescue workers. A total of 40,000 rescue and recovery personnel were exposed to caustic dust and toxic pollutants. Such workers as fire-fighters, police, construction workers, utility workers and public sector workers.
These findings come less than one week before the 5th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The authors of the report say it is important to continue to monitor the health of these rescue and recovery workers.
New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said in the New York Daily News today "The effects of 9/11 are still largely unknown, but we now know much more than we did even one year ago."
You can read about this report in Environmental Health Perspectives Thursday, Sep. issue.
"The World Trade Center Disaster and the Health of Workers: Five-Year Assessment of a Unique Medical Screening Program"
Robin Herbert, Jacqueline Moline, Gwen Skloot, Kristina Metzger, Sherry Baron, Benjamin Luft, Stephen Markowitz, Iris Udasin, Denise Harrison, Diane Stein, Andrew Todd, Paul Enright, Jeanne Mager Stellman, Philip J. Landrigan, and Stephen Levin
Environmental Health Perspectives
doi:10.1289/ehp.9592 (available at http://dx.doi.org/) Online 6 September 2006
Click Here To View Report (PDF)
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Start Sanatate
Copyright: Start Sanatate
Not to be reproduced without permission of Start Sanatate
9 / 11 rescuers Lung Problemele aveau mai mult de Primã Gândire - 9/11 Rescuers Had More Lung Problems Than First Thought - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate