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Unhealthy aftereffects for rescuers and New Yorkers

Physicians worry that some will eventually develop chronic asthma or other conditions because of air contaminants from the World Trade Center destruction.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, amednews staff. Nov. 26, 2001.

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Doctors in New York say they are seeing large numbers of patients coming in with respiratory conditions connected to the Sept. 11 World Trade Center disaster.

About one-third of all New York City firefighters have what has been nicknamed "WTC cough." One-fifth also have reported heartburn believed to be associated with the large amounts of pulverized concrete and glass."What you inhale, you also swallow," said David J. Prezant, MD, deputy chief medical officer of the New York City Fire Dept. "Your entire tongue was coated with this stuff."

The health problems are believed to be caused by a combination of working in close proximity to the site and shortcomings of protective breathing masks.

The best masks will screen out the most particles, but they are also the most uncomfortable to wear and interfere with communication. And those masks commonly used by firefighters are not intended to be worn for days on end.

"The equipment is incredibly effective," Dr. Prezant said. "But it's incredibly uncomfortable. In the future, we need to build a level of comfort into our designs, and a lot more research needs to be done in this direction."

In addition to affecting those who were at what is now called ground zero, the dust created by the disaster is also affecting those who were initially forced to stay away from their nearby homes and workplaces but have since returned.

"Their apartments were covered in dust, and have since been professionally cleaned," said Ira Finegold, MD, chief of allergy at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center. "But they return, and after 20 minutes, they're developing a raspy cough. I haven't seen any patients who are truly toxic, but clearly there are things in the air that are irritating." [...]