A new study, released 2 December 2011, in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, concludes that first responders to the World Trade Center tragedies on 9/11, September 11th, 2001, have twice the normal rate of asthma. The cultprit? Toxic dust inhaled by the responders during the aftermath of the attacks.
Why is this WTC Asthma study significant?
There have been other studies conducted on the incidence of asthma among WTC responders, so what makes this study significant? According to Hyun Kim, MD, epidemiologist and assistant professor of population health at the North Short-LIJ Health System and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, and first author of the study, “This is the first study to directly quantify the magnitude of asthma among WTC responders.”
Who was studied?
The study population was made up of 20,834 WTC responders who received medical screenings from July 2002 to December 2007. 6.3% of the responders studied had asthma, compared to the 3.7% of the general population with the breathing condition.
Lung damage to WTC First Responders
It has long been known that the first responders to the World Trade Center attacks suffered health problems and lung damage due to asbestos and other toxic dust in the air. The Medscape report on Lung Disease in World Trade Center Responders, provides case studies and detailed information to showcase the lung damage caused by the toxins, smoke, and debris in the air on 9/11.
Comments