 |
 |
9/11 firefighters lost lung capacity
New York - Firefighters who inhaled toxic dust after the collapse of the World Trade Center twin towers in 2001 suffered a sudden loss of lung capacity 12 times the normal rate that occurs each year as people age, according to a study of 12,000 firefighters released Tuesday.
Respiratory tests taken a year after the attacks showed the average firefighter exhaled about 23 cubic inches less air in one second than before the Sept. 11 attacks, a 9 percent decrease, the study found.
Dr. Gisela Banauch, lead author of the study and a pulmonary critical-care specialist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, said the decreased lung capacity does not put the firefighters at an immediate risk for death. But it does increase their risk for eventually developing conditions that could narrow the airways, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Dust from the World Trade Center buildings contained pulverized concrete and glass, asbestos, hydrocarbons and other hazardous chemicals.
CLICK ON THE BANNER TO BUY TERRORSTORM IN HARD COPY