WTC Tragedy: What the Research Says

The events of September 2001 fueled an individual and collective nightmare that has yet to cease. In loss of life and ongoing illness, the devastation wrought upon the United States is hard to calculate. In ensuing years, new structures have risen from the ashes of the World Trade Center (WTC) site along with an impressive array of research studies.

The findings from just a few of those studies include the following:

• Post 9/11 skin rash may be associated with acute and long-term exposure to dust and debris from the WTC site.
• Residents in affected areas suffered more respiratory symptoms than residents outside the area in the three months following the terrorist attacks. Follow-up two to four years later found that residents in the affected area still showed higher levels of respiratory symptoms than residents outside the area of exposure. Five years after exposure, chronic bronchitis was a persistent problem for some affected residents.
• Working on the WTC-related debris pile is associated with higher incidence rates of sarcoidosis, collections of inflammatory cell growth on internal organs like the lungs.
• Wider exposure to WTC events and trauma led to greater alcohol consumption within one year and two years of the event. Exposure to the WTC trauma led to higher incidence of binge drinking within a year of the event but not two years among a random sample of 1,681 New York adults.

More studies will plumb the effects of this human and national tragedy in years to come. Knowledgeable attorneys can help answer your questions.