title: Upper respiratory symptoms and other health effects among residents living near the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001.
abstract: The authors investigated changes in respiratory health after September 11, 2001 ("9/11") among residents of the area near the World Trade Center (WTC) site in New York City as compared with residents of a control area. In 2002, self-administered questionnaires requesting information on the presence and persistence of respiratory symptoms, unplanned medical visits, and medication use were sent to 9,200 households (22.3% responded) within 1.5 km of the WTC site (affected area) and approximately 1,000 residences (23.3% responded) in Upper Manhattan, more than 9 km from the site (control area). Residents of the affected area reported higher rates of new-onset upper respiratory symptoms after 9/11 (cumulative incidence ratio = 2.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.88, 2.63). Most of these symptoms persisted 1 year after 9/11 in the affected area. Previously healthy residents of the affected area had more respiratory-related unplanned medical visits (prevalence ratio = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.64) and more new medication use (prevalence ratio = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.75, 4.76) after 9/11. Greater impacts on respiratory functional limitations were also found in the affected area. Although bias may have contributed to these increases, other analyses of WTC-related pollutants support their biologic plausibility. Further analyses are needed to examine whether these increases were related to environmental exposures and to monitor long-term health effects.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Troy, NY 12180, USA. sxl05@health.state.ny.us
authors.forename: Shao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reibman
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bowers
authors.forename: Syni-An
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoerning
authors.forename: Marta I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Edward F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D019141:Respiratory System Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D019141:Respiratory System Agents