title: Protecting worker and public health during responses to catastrophic disasters-learning from the World Trade Center experience.
abstract: Despite incremental lessons learned since 9/11, responder and community health remain at unnecessary risk during responses to catastrophic disasters, as evidenced during the BP Deepwater Horizon spill and Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Sandy. Much of the health harm that occurs during disaster response, as distinct from during the disaster event itself, is avoidable. Protection of public health should be an integral component of disaster response, which should "do no additional harm." This commentary examines how challenges and gaps the World Trade Center response resulted in preventable occupational and environmental health harm. It proposes changes in disaster response policies to better protect the health of rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and impacted worker and residential communities.
authors.affiliation: New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), 61 Broadway, Suite 1710, New York City, New York.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Newman
mesh_terms: D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D060731:Emergency Responders; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration; D064371:Hazardous Waste Sites; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D009519:New York City; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016272:Occupational Health; D057766:Policy; D011634:Public Health; D018635:Rescue Work / Q000458:organization & administration; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks; D014481:United States; D037041:United States Government Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: 9/11; World Trade Center; disaster preparedness; disaster response; responder health