World Trade Center Responders Plagued with Asthma

Reported Asthma in 9/11 Responders 2X Greater Than General Population

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Responders to the 2001 World
Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks, who were exposed to caustic dust and
toxic pollutants following the 9/11 disaster, suffer from asthma at a rate
more than twice that of the general US population, according to new research
presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of
the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

As many as 8 percent of the workers and volunteers who engaged in rescue and
recovery, essential service restoration, and cleanup efforts in the wake of
9/11 reported experiencing post-9/11 asthma attacks or episodes, compared with
4 percent of the general population. Furthermore, the lifetime prevalence of
asthma in WTC responders was marked by a dramatic increase from 3 percent
pre-9/11 to a high of 16 percent in each of the years from 2005 through 2007.

"Although previous WTC studies have shown significant respiratory problems,
this is the first study to directly quantify the magnitude of asthma among WTC
responders compared with the general US population," said Hyun Kim, ScD,
Instructor of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM),
New York, NY, and lead author of the analysis which uses data obtained from
the federally-funded World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment
Program. "Six years out from 9/11, the World Trade Center Program was still
observing responders affected by asthma episodes and attacks at more than
double the percentage of people not exposed to World Trade Center dust."

WTC Study Details
In the multi-center clinical study, researchers from the MSSM-coordinated WTC
Program reported on health-related findings of 20,843 WTC responders who
received an initial medical screening examination during the program's first
5-1/2 years of existence, from July 2002 through December 2007. Asthma
outcomes assessed were the following: (1) prevalence of asthma
episodes/attacks reported by responders to have occurred during the previous
12 months, and (2) lifetime asthma prevalence, as measured by participants
reporting having ever been told by a physician that they had asthma. Results
were compared with the US National Health Survey Interviews (NHIS) adult
sample data for the year 2000 (pre-9/11) and years 2002 through 2007.

WTC Study Results
In the general population, the prevalence of asthma episodes and/or attacks in
the previous 12 months remained relatively constant at slightly less than 4
percent throughout the period from 2000 to 2007. In contrast, among WTC
responders, while fewer than 1 percent recalled asthma episodes or attacks
during the year 2000, that percentage increased to 8 percent, and then
remained constant, through the period from 2005 to 2007. WTC responders were
2.3 times more likely to report asthma episodes/attacks that had occurred
during the previous 12 months when compared with the general population of the
United States. Additionally, the increase in lifetime prevalence of asthma
among responders undergoing their initial program screening any time during
the study period grew from a reported 3 percent for (pre-9/11) diagnoses to 13
percent in 2002. The lifetime prevalence of asthma subsequently rose through
the years to plateau at 16 percent from 2005 through 2007.

"It is important to note that this report focused on findings from baseline or
initial visit examinations," said Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, Ethel H. Wise
Professor and Chair of MSSM's Department of Preventive Medicine, and principal
investigator of the WTC Program Data and Coordination Center. "Where the data
shows an increasing percentage of responders reporting asthmatic episodes,
rising to double that seen in the general population, it is clearly vital that
we continue to track responders' health and look further into the medical
outcomes of this population."

Of the study's rescue and recovery workers, 86 percent were men; 59 percent
were Caucasian; and the average duration of work at WTC sites was 80 days. The
study followed uniformed and other law enforcement and protective service
workers (42 percent), as well as construction workers and other responders who
had engaged in paid and volunteer WTC-related rescue and recovery, essential
service restoration, and/or debris removal and cleanup efforts.

"Asthma and other chronic lung conditions remain a significant burden for
rescue and recovery workers responding to the attacks on the World Trade
Center," said Kalpalatha Guntupalli, MD, FCCP, President of the American
College of Chest Physicians. "The significant chronic health problems
associated with the World Trade Center attacks only reinforces the need for
stronger disaster preparedness plans, as well as long-term medical follow-up
for 9/11 responders and individuals who respond to disaster-related events."

CHEST 2009 is the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the
American College of Chest Physicians, held October 31-November 5 in San Diego,
CA. The ACCP represents 17,400 members who provide patient care in the areas
of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine in the United States and
throughout the world. The ACCP's mission is to promote the prevention and
treatment of diseases of the chest through leadership, education, research,
and communication. For more information about the ACCP, please visit the ACCP
Web site at www.chestnet.org.

SOURCE American College of Chest Physicians

Jennifer Stawarz of the American College of Chest Physicians, +1-847-498-8306,
jstawarz@chestnet.org