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Cleven KL, Rosenzvit C, Nolan A, Zeig-Owens R, Kwon S, Weiden MD, Skerker M, Halpren A, Prezant DJ. Twenty-Year Reflection on the Impact of World Trade Center Exposure on Pulmonary Outcomes in Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Rescue and Recovery Workers. Lung 2021; 199:569-578. [PMID: 34766209 PMCID: PMC8583580 DOI: 10.1007/s00408-021-00493-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11), many rescue/recovery workers developed respiratory symptoms and pulmonary diseases due to their extensive World Trade Center (WTC) dust cloud exposure. Nearly all Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) workers were present within 48 h of 9/11 and for the next several months. Since the FDNY had a well-established occupational health service for its firefighters and Emergency Medical Services workers prior to 9/11, the FDNY was able to immediately start a rigorous monitoring and treatment program for its WTC-exposed workers. As a result, respiratory symptoms and diseases were identified soon after 9/11. This focused review summarizes the WTC-related respiratory diseases that developed in the FDNY cohort after 9/11, including WTC cough syndrome, obstructive airways disease, accelerated lung function decline, airway hyperreactivity, sarcoidosis, and obstructive sleep apnea. Additionally, an extensive array of biomarkers has been identified as associated with WTC-related respiratory disease. Future research efforts will not only focus on further phenotyping/treating WTC-related respiratory disease but also on additional diseases associated with WTC exposure, especially those that take decades to develop, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and interstitial lung disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krystal L Cleven
- Pulmonary Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
| | - Carla Rosenzvit
- Pulmonary Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Anna Nolan
- The Bureau of Health Services and the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, Fire Department of the City of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA.,Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Rachel Zeig-Owens
- Pulmonary Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,The Bureau of Health Services and the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, Fire Department of the City of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA.,Division of Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Sophia Kwon
- Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael D Weiden
- The Bureau of Health Services and the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, Fire Department of the City of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA.,Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Molly Skerker
- Pulmonary Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,The Bureau of Health Services and the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, Fire Department of the City of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Allison Halpren
- The Bureau of Health Services and the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, Fire Department of the City of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - David J Prezant
- Pulmonary Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,The Bureau of Health Services and the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, Fire Department of the City of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA.,Division of Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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