The Legacy of World Trade Center Dust
Source: New England Journal of Medicine

Some conclusions can now be reached about the World Trade Center dust and its associated risks. First, the dust has been described thoroughly, and uncertainty concerning exposure levels and the characteristics of the mixture will not be reduced. Second, some responders who were at the site in the hours and days immediately after the disaster have persistent respiratory abnormalities consistent with airway injury resulting from inhaled particles and gases. Medical monitoring has been put in place for this group. They were exposed to inhaled carcinogens, but any associated increased risk for respiratory tract cancer and most other types of cancer will not become apparent for decades. Some reassurance can be found in studies of other firefighter groups that have generally not shown a high risk of respiratory tract and other cancers. Third, the respiratory health of the general population, particularly those who were in collapsed or damaged buildings, may have been affected. Synergy among the inhaled pollutants, together with psychological sequelae reflecting the severity of this extraordinary event, may also have contributed to the occurrence and persistence of symptoms.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 31st, 2007 at 1:16 pm and is filed under Diseases and conditions, Environment, Health and healthcare, Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.