The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #51102

Phil Landrigan, MD, MSc¹, Stephan Levin, MD², Joel Forman, MD², Gertrud Berkowitz, PhD², and Rachel Yehuda, PHD³. (1) Director, Division of Enviornmental & Occupational Medicine, Mt. Sinai Hospital Department of Community Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, (212) 241-4804, plandrigan@smtplink.mssm.edu, (2) Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, (3) Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574

Since September 11, 2001, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has been involved on many levels in confronting the public health consequences of the World Trade Center attacks. Our efforts have focused on vulnerable and high-risk populations:

· Workers. We have examined several hundred workers who were heavily exposed to dust, soot, smoke and debris during and after the attacks. These include firefighters, police officers, EMT’s, iron workers, transit workers, laborers and members of other building trades. We have consulted on respiratory protection and health and safety issues.

· Children. We have examined children from lower Manhattan who were exposed to smoke and soot. We have met with groups of parents at community fora and PTA meetings. We have offered evidence-based guidance for protecting children’s health. We have consulted extensively with the NYC Board of Education about whether to reopen schools and playgrounds.

· Pregnant Women and Infants. We have organized, in collaboration with Columbia University, a prospective epidemiologic study of women who were pregnant at or near Ground Zero on September 11th. The goal is to assess outcomes of pregnancy and infant health.

· Stress. Our Department of Psychiatry has been proactively involved in efforts to prevent and treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other stress related illnesses in persons exposed to the WTC attacks.

Summary. The Mount Sinai response to the WTC disaster has been multidisciplinary and inter-institutional. It has involved with close collaboration with City, State and federal health officials.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify health consequences of the World Trade Center attacks on workers, children, pregnant women and infants.
• Understand post-traumatic stress outcomes of vulnerable and high-risk populations.

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.