Sept. 11 survivors, first responders face higher rates of heart disease
First responders and survivors at the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were exposed to hazardous materials. A new study in the journal Injury Epidemiology examines what impact this had on rates of asthma, diabetes and heart and lung disease.
“This study is unique in that it focuses on responders and survivors who had intense exposure to environmental pollution and trauma on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City, but not afterward,” said senior study author Robert Brackbill, PhD, of the World Trade Center Health Registry and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Researchers examined data for 8,701 people who were at Ground Zero during the attack and did not previously have asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease. Those injured during the attacks, according to the data, had higher risks of heart disease.
“[W]e found a significant dose-response association between number of injury types and angina/heart disease, but not with asthma, other non-neoplastic lung diseases, or diabetes,” wrote Brackbill et a;. “Dust/debris cloud exposure was associated with asthma and other non-neoplastic lung diseases but not angina/heart disease.”
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Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.