WTC Health Registry Updates on 9/11 Aftermath Soon to Come

How will the people exposed to the toxic cocktail released bythe destruction of the World Trade Center fare in terms ofhealth?

That’s the question that experts are trying to answer, in part bypolling those who were there in the day following the 9/11terrorist attacks. To that end, the World Trade Center HealthRegistry has launched its third major survey of over 70,000 peopleexposed to the dust and debris at Ground Zero.

Only now has sufficient time passed to begin investigatingpotential late emerging and long-term health effects associatedwith World Trade Center exposure, said New York City HealthCommissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. Responses to the third survey willprovide researchers with health updates that can help guideclinical services in the future.

The survey will examine the health status of surveyors 10 yearsafter the attacks. The registry includes everyone from rescue andrecovery workers to lower Manhattan residents, workers andstudents. The survey will ask questions about the physical andmental symptoms experienced by those who were in proximity to thesite, and provide information about the most common healthconditions related to exposure at the World Trade Center includingpost-traumatic stress disorder and asthma.

As part of the effort, a new series of mental health questions hasbeen designed to determine the long-term impact of 9/11. Thesequestions ask enrollees about depression, anxiety and traumaticstress. The survey will also question participants about sleepapnea, asthma, other kinds of respiratory and cardiovasculardiseases, and auto-immune disorders.

Survey response will help to determine unresolved areas of care andwill refer participants to treatment services through the federalWTC Health Program instituted in July 2011 by the James L. Zadroga9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

To ensure the best possible response, the survey has been designedto be user-friendly, with Spanish and Chinese surveys to expandparticipation.

Every survey counts, said WTC Health Registry Director MarkFarfel, ScD. We know we can provide a more complete picture of9/11 health impacts when more registry enrollees respond to oursurveys.

To enroll, or for further information, send an email towtchr@health.nyc.gov, or call 311 or 866-692-9827.