9/11 Lingers in Mind and Body

New York -- Long after the dust settled in lower Manhattan, thousands of volunteers, rescue workers, and New York City residents are still feeling the effects of 9/11 -- not only in their hearts but in their minds and bodies as well.

While the psychological impact of 9/11 is nearly impossible to quantify on a nationwide level, health officials in New York and the surrounding areas are just beginning to understand the scope of physical and mental effects of the disaster. The "World Trade Center cough," respiratory problems, smaller babies, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are just a few of the issues linked to exposure to the smoke, dust, and toxic fumes that permeated lower Manhattan for days and weeks after the disaster.

"We never had an exposure like this," says Paul Lioy, PhD, of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute. "It was an unprecedented collapse of two large buildings turning into dust, literally, and then residual smoke and a complex mixture we've never seen or ever dealt with before."

"So in terms of the long-term effects from short-term exposure, we don't know whether or not they will remain for many, many years or eventually go away," says Lioy. "We have to monitor it."

To that end, health officials in New York recently announced the creation of the World Trade Center Health Registry to track and evaluate the long-term health effects of 9/11.

"The effects of 9/11 are still being felt today by all New Yorkers, and all Americans," says Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, New York City Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner, in a news release.

"Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life were in the vicinity of the twin towers when they collapsed, and were exposed to a combination of smoke, dust, and debris," says Frieden. "We need to study the health of these people in order to understand the possible health consequences related to 9/11."

Health Effects Linger for Locals and Rescue Workers

The World Trade Center Worker & Volunteer Medical Screening Program in New York City offers free and confidential medical screening examinations nationwide for those who helped with post-9/11 rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts.

Earlier this year, researchers released preliminary findings based on a sample of 250 of the program's participants. The results show that about half of the participants experienced persistent lung, ear, nose, and throat, and/or mental health symptoms 10 months to a year after the terrorist attacks.

Other findings include:

• 78% of emergency responders reported at least one WTC-related lung symptom that first developed or worsened as a result of their WTC work.
• 88% reported at least one WTC-related ear, nose, or throat symptom.
• 52% of participants reported mental health symptoms that require further medical evaluation, and one in five reported symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder.