Saturday, September 11, 2004
On the third anniversary of 9/11 a reminder of the incompetence of this administration, the heros are getting sick because the President hid the health dangers!
|
Nearly half of the more than 1,000 screened rescue workers who responded to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks suffer from new or exacerbated respiratory, mental and other health problems, according to a government report released on Thursday.
The report, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), is the second released in two days to find that firefighters, police officers and volunteers show persistent effects from environmental toxins and psychological stress.
On Wednesday, a similar study from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, noted that many rescue workers suffer wheezing, shortness of breath, sinusitis, asthma and a syndrome called "WTC cough."
The latest health study, conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, showed that nearly half of the 1,138 people screened had problems that either began or worsened after being exposed to the dust, airborne toxins and pollutants unleashed by the collapsed buildings.
"These preliminary findings of the WTC Screening Program demonstrate that large numbers of workers and volunteers suffered persistent, substantial effects on their respiratory and psychological health as a result of their efforts," said Dr. Stephen Levin, co-director of the World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program.
Of those screened, 51 percent suffered mental health problems and their risk of post-traumatic stress disorder was four times the rate of the disorder in the general male population, the report said.
The analysis is part of a broader study of about 12,000 people being evaluated at Mount Sinai.
|
