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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Susan West Marmagas, MPH, Environmental and Health Programs, Physicians for Social Responsibility, 1875 Connecticut Ave, NW, #1012, Washington, DC 20009, (202) 667-4260, ext 224, swest@psr.org and Allen Dearry, PhD, Chief, Chemical Exposure and Molecular Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences NIH, Division of Extramural Research and Training, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
During the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) and in the days and weeks following as the ruins smoldered, tens of thousands of people were exposed to a combination of destruction-related chemicals and extreme stress. Both pyrolytic/combustion products and dusts from the collapse such as concrete and asbestos particles remained airborne for a long time and settled on surfaces in the area around the wreck. Megatons of building material, furnishings, and finishings, as well as the materials and fuel in the airplanes, became airborne either in their original composition or transformed by energy (explosion, heat, and flames). The magnitude of this disaster is unique with respect to the quantity of material involved and the number of potentially exposed survivors.
Documenting the health status of this large population and helping them get appropriate care over the long term is an important obligation of this country's scientific and medical establishment. Presentations in this session will address environmental health research and response efforts carried out to date in exposure analysis, epidemiology, and outreach.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Bioterrorism, Environmental Exposures
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.