University of Rochester Medicine is marking 25 years of research and clinical care focused on people exposed to dust, smoke and debris after the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks. Its work has ranged from early laboratory studies of dust to long-term medical monitoring for responders living in the Finger Lakes and Western New York.
Researchers began studying samples collected from apartments, cars and streets in Lower Manhattan within months of the disaster. They examined the material's chemical and physical properties and its effects on lung cells, including inflammation and vulnerability to respiratory infection.
Early studies took place while scientists were still trying to understand a complex, changing exposure environment created by collapsed buildings, fires and prolonged rescue work. Later research documented persistent respiratory disease, mental health conditions and numerous cancers among responders and survivors.
Studies continue to examine populations that received less attention immediately after the attacks, including Lower Manhattan residents and children. Newly released records have also added information about asbestos and other contaminants that persisted in some areas.
Finger Lakes Occupational Health Services, part of URMC's Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health Sciences, joined a national network that provides medical evaluation and treatment to World Trade Center responders.
The Rochester-based service remains affiliated with the federal World Trade Center Health Program's Nationwide Provider Network. It offers annual monitoring, specialist referrals and education for firefighters, state troopers, Red Cross volunteers and others involved in rescue and recovery.
The federal program was established by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2011. It provides eligible responders and survivors with screening and treatment for respiratory illnesses, mental health conditions and more than 50 types of cancer.
Paige Lawrence, chair of URMC's Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health Sciences, said the work shows why environmental research must continue over long periods. Effects of exposure may not be immediate or simple, and understanding them can require laboratory science, population studies, clinical care and community involvement.
URMC said its 9/11 work continues a broader tradition of studying how air pollution and other environmental hazards affect health. The institution said long-term monitoring remains essential because the consequences of complex exposures can take decades to emerge.
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