One

Eight years after 9/11 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased amongst eyewitnesses and survivors of the World Trade Center attacks. According to The Journal of the American Medical Association (Aug 4th), they found a 5% rise of PTSD in the approximate 50,000 people first surveyed in 2006 and 2007. Originally, their study found PTSD was 14% amongst the people they surveyed, but when participants were re-evaluated in 2008, the number had risen to 19%. One reason for the increase was, 9.5% didn’t report symptoms in the earlier survey.

Between 2003 and 2004, The New York City Health Department examined PTSD in 11,000 lower Manhattan residents who lived near the site of the WTC disaster. Their study revealed that 12.6% of the people surveyed suffer from PTSD. Also, women were more likely to have PTSD at 15%, compared to 10% of the men. The report then broke down the participants between race and income, stating 1 in 5 African-American, 1 in 4 Hispanics, suffered PTSD, compared to 10.7% of white residents. And people with an annual income less than $25,000 showed a 20% rate.

Also, in 2003-2004, the World Trade Center Health Registry surveyed 30,000 rescue and recovery workers. This group consisted of police, firefighters, and volunteers. According to this study, the reported cases of PTSD was: 21.2% volunteer workers, firefighters 12.2%, and police officers, at 6.2% (personally, I believe PTSD amongst cops are higher than this number. But because of the stigma attached to mental health issues within the NYPD, cops are less likely to report such problems).

Also, the recent Journal of the American Medical Association found the cases of asthma in people surveyed who didn’t have the illness prior to 9/11 was now 10.2% of civilians and 20.5% of rescue and recovery workers, and that asthma was the highest in residents living near the WTC site. Another health study from the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine reported doctors from World Trade Center Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have been studying 28,252 rescue workers who worked the pile at Ground Zero, have found eight cases of multiple myeloma, a hematological cancer. Myeloma is a common disease found in elderly people, average age 71. But what the doctors find alarming is this cancer is appearing in rescue workers younger than age 45. Now, questions are being raised whether the toxic environment at Ground Zero may be linked to these cancers. To date, no study has been created to monitor cancer rates amongst civilians and rescue workers exposed to 9/11 toxic dust.

(I think it’s amazing that for the past 8 years, NYC Mayor Bloomburg, and other officials, have denied the link between these illnesses and the toxic dust of 9/11. And considering that Mount Sinai Hospital reports 70% of the 40,000 rescue workers who worked at the WTC are now ill, maybe it’s time to take a closer look) ~ AA