Intense, short-term exposure to materials generated during the collapse of the World Trade Center was associated with bronchial responsiveness and the development of cough. Clinical and physiological severity was related to the intensity of exposure.

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Background The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, exposed thousands of Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) rescue workers to dust, leading to substantial declines in lung function in the first year. We sought to determine the longer-term effects of exposure. Methods Using linear mixed models, we analyzed the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) of both active and retired FDNY rescue workers on the basis of spirometry routinely performed at intervals of 12 to 18 months from March 12, 2000, to September 11, 2008. Results Of the 13,954 FDNY workers who were present at the World Trade Center between September 11, 2001, and September 24, 2001, a total of 12,781 (91.6%) participated in this study, contributing 61,746 quality-screened spirometric measurements. The median follow-up was 6.1 years for firefighters and 6.4 years for emergency-medical-services (EMS) workers. In the first year, the mean FEV1 decreased significantly for all workers, more for firefighters who had never smoked (a reduction of 439 ml; 95% confidence interval [CI], 408 to 471) than for EMS workers who had never smoked (a reduction of 267 ml; 95% CI, 263 to 271) (P<0.001 for both comparisons). There was little or no recovery in FEV1 during the subsequent 6 years, with a mean annualized reduction in FEV1 of 25 ml per year for firefighters and 40 ml per year for EMS workers. The proportion of workers who had never smoked and who had an FEV1 below the lower limit of the normal range increased during the first year, from 3% to 18% for firefighters and from 12% to 22% for EMS workers, stabilizing at about 13% for firefighters and 22% for EMS workers during the subsequent 6 years. Conclusions Exposure to World Trade Center dust led to large declines in FEV1 for FDNY rescue workers during the first year. Overall, these declines were persistent, without recovery over the next 6 years, leaving a substantial proportion of workers with abnormal lung function.

SummaryBackground-The attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) on Sept 11, 2001 (9/11) created the potential for occupational exposure to known and suspected carcinogens. We examined cancer incidence and its potential association with exposure in the first 7 years after 9/11 in firefighters with health information before 9/11 and minimal loss to follow-up.

New York City Fire Department rescue workers experienced massive exposure to airborne particulates at the World Trade Center site. Aims of this longitudinal study were to (1) determine if bronchial hyperreactivity was present, persistent, and independently associated with exposure intensity, (2) identify objective measures shortly after the collapse that would predict persistent hyperreactivity and a diagnosis of reactive airways dysfunction 6 months post-collapse. A representative sample of 179 rescue workers stratified by exposure intensity (high, moderate, and control) without current smoking or prior respiratory disease was enrolled. Highly exposed workers arrived within 2 hours of collapse, moderately exposed workers arrived later on Days 1-2; control subjects were not exposed. Hyperreactivity at 1, 3, and 6 months post-collapse was associated with exposure intensity, independent of ex-smoking and airflow obstruction. Six months post-collapse, highly exposed workers were 6.8 times more likely than moderately exposed workers and control subjects to be hyperreactive (95% confidence interval, 1.8-25.2; p = 0.004), and hyperreactivity persisted in 55% of those hyperreactive at 1 and/or 3 months. In highly exposed subjects, hyperreactivity 1 or 3 months post-collapse was the sole predictor for reactive airways dysfunction (p = 0.021). In conclusion, development and persistence of hyperreactivity and reactive airways dysfunction were strongly and independently associated with exposure intensity. Hyperreactivity shortly post-collapse predicted reactive airways dysfunction at 6 months in highly exposed workers; this has important implications for disaster management.