Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jul;10(4):287-94.
doi: 10.1007/s11882-010-0120-4.

Occupational asthma and lower airway disease among World Trade Center workers and volunteers

Rafael E de la Hoz  1
Affiliations

Occupational asthma and lower airway disease among World Trade Center workers and volunteers

Rafael E de la Hoz. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2010 Jul.

Abstract

The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster and its recovery work involved a range of hazardous occupational exposures that have not been fully characterized but can be reasonably assumed to have the potential to cause mucosal inflammation in the upper and lower airways. A high prevalence of lower airway disease (LAD) symptoms was reported by several early surveys. Clinical studies further categorized the diagnoses as irritant-induced asthma (of subacute onset), nonspecific chronic bronchitis, chronic bronchiolitis, or aggravated preexistent obstructive pulmonary disease in a substantial proportion of patients. Risk factors for WTC-related LAD included early (on September 11 or 12, 2001) arrival at the WTC site and work at the pile of the collapsed towers. Cigarette smoking (but not atopy) also seemed to be a risk factor for LAD. No data thus far suggest an increased incidence of neoplastic or interstitial lung disease, but ongoing surveillance is clearly necessary.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Algorithm for the investigation of lower respiratory symptoms among former World Trade Center workers and volunteers. (Adapted from Brightling et al. [56])
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Herbstman JB, Frank R, Schwab M, et al.: Respiratory effects of inhalation exposure among workers during the clean-up effort at the World Trade Center disaster site. Environ Res 2005, 99:85–92. - PubMed
    1. Prezant DJ, Weiden M, Banauch GI, et al.: Cough and bronchial responsiveness in firefighters at the World Trade Center site. N Engl J Med 2002, 347:806–815. - PubMed
    1. Buyantseva LV, Tulchinsky M, Kapalka GM, et al.: Evolution of lower respiratory symptoms in New York police officers after 9/11: a prospective longitudinal study. J Occup Environ Med 2007, 49:310–317. - PubMed
    1. Banauch GI, Hall C, Weiden M, et al.: Pulmonary function after exposure to the World Trade Center collapse in the New York City Fire Department. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2006, 174:312–319. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wheeler K, McKelvey W, Thorpe L, et al.: Asthma diagnosed after September 11, 2001 among rescue and recovery workers: findings from the World Trade Center Health Registry. Environ Health Perspect 2007, 115:1584–1590. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms