World Trade Center Health Program: First Decade of Research

Santiago-Colón, Albeliz; Daniels, Robert D.; Reissman, Dori B.; Anderson, Kristi; Calvert, Geoffrey M.; Caplan, Alexis; Carreón, Tania; Katruska, Alan; Kubale, Travis L.; Liu, Ruiling; Nembhard, Rhonda; Robison, W. Allen; Yiin, James H.; Howard, John

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197290

Cited by 26 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 168 publications

(264 reference statements)

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“…The general responders were more racially and ethnically diverse compared to FDNY responders who were mostly non-Hispanic, white, and male. 3 Of the total responders in the program, 3,439 are deceased; the primary causes of death were aerodigestive illness (34%), cancer (30%), and mental ill health (15%).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On January 2, 2011, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (Zadroga Act) was signed into law and the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program (WTCHP) was created to monitor and treat responders and survivors with 9/11-related adverse health conditions. 3 Eligibility details for inclusion in the program are available elsewhere. [4][5][6] Health data from responders are collected by the WTCHP and summarized to inform a range of research outputs, including the program statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, Georgia USA).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health Trends among 9/11 Responders from 2011–2021: A Review of World Trade Center Health Program Statistics

Smith

Holmes

Larkin

2021

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Introduction: In a single day, the September 11, 2001 US terrorist attacks (9/11) killed nearly 3,000 people, including 412 first responders. More than 91,000 responders were exposed to a range of hazards during the recovery and clean-up operation that followed. Various health programs track the on-going health effects of 9/11, including the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program (WTCHP). The objective of this research was to review WTCHP statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to analyze health trends among enrolled responders as the 20-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks approaches. Methods: The WTCHP statistics reported by the CDC were analyzed to identify health trends among enrolled responders from 2011 through 2021. Statistics for non-responders were excluded. Results: A total of 80,745 responders were enrolled in the WTCHP as of March 2021: 62,773 were classified as general responders; 17,023 were Fire Department of New York (FDNY) responders; and 989 were Pentagon and Shanksville responders. Of the total responders in the program, 3,439 are now deceased. Just under 40% of responders with certified health issues were aged 45-64 and 83% were male. The top three certified conditions among enrolled responders were: aerodigestive disorders; cancer; and mental ill health. The top ten certified cancers have remained the same over the last five years, however, leukemia has now overtaken colon and bladder cancer as the 20-year anniversary approaches. Compared to the general population, 9/11 first responders had a higher rate of all cancers combined, as well as higher rates of prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and leukemia. Discussion: Trends in these program statistics should be viewed with some caution. While certain illnesses have been linked with exposure to the WTC site, differences in age, sex, ethnicity, smoking status, and other factors between exposed and unexposed groups should also be considered. Increased rates of some illnesses among this cohort may be associated with heightened surveillance rather than an actual increase in disease. Still, cancer in general, as well as lung disease, heart disease, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), seem to be increasing among 9/11 responders, even now close to 20 years later. Conclusion: Responders should continue to avail themselves of the health care and monitoring offered through programs like the WTCHP.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Trends among 9/11 Responders from 2011–2021: A Review of World Trade Center Health Program Statistics

Smith

Holmes

Larkin

2021

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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“…Since 2011, these studies have been mostly funded by the WTC Health Program. Detailed information on WTC Health Program research is available online (https://wwwn.cdc.gov/ResearchGateway) and elsewhere 9 . Briefly, WTC Health Program‐funded research examines a wide array of physical and mental health conditions to reduce diagnostic and treatment uncertainty among Program members, uncover new information on listed health conditions, and identify and characterize emerging health conditions that may be related to 9/11 exposures.…”

Section: How Petitions Are Reviewedmentioning

confidence: 99%

The World Trade Center Health Program: Petitions for adding qualifying health conditions

Daniels

Carreón

Bilics

et al. 2021

American J Industrial Med

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The federally mandated World Trade Center Health Program provides limited health benefits for qualifying health conditions related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A qualifying health condition is an illness or health condition for which the member's exposure to airborne toxins, any other hazard, or any other adverse condition resulting from the 9/11 terrorist attacks is considered substantially likely to be a significant factor in aggravating, contributing to, or causing the illness or health condition. These qualifying health conditions are listed in federal regulations. The regulations also provide a process for amending this list. This commentary describes the methods developed for adding health conditions to the list of qualifying health conditions and discusses changes to the list that have occurred during the Program's 2011–2020 period.

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“…The WTCHP also maintains a research program aimed to inform the clinical care of program members. In their review, Santiago-Colón et al [ 1 ] describe the research findings of the first decade of the Program and discuss future research directions. The focus of research has been characterizing the burden and etiology of WTC-related health conditions.…”

Section: Wtchp First Decade Of Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%