Special Article Collection Highlights Occupational Medicine's Role in Assessing Health Impact of Attacks
Newswise — PHILADELPHIA, PA — In the decade since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, occupational and environmental medicine specialists have played a central role in evaluating and responding to potentially toxic exposures and other health hazards created by the attacks, according to a special issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the editors have assembled a collection of papers from the pages of JOEM, reflecting research and commentary on the immediate and long-term impact of the disaster. The “9/11 Articles” collection has been made freely available on line for all readers.
The September JOEM also presents two original research papers presenting new findings in rescue workers and others exposed to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC). One paper reports on some unique features of sleep apnea among WTC responders. In New York City firefighters and others rescue workers, symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea appear related to stomach acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease)—rather than to obesity, as in the general population.
Another study finds an increased rate of the inflammatory disease sarcoidosis involving the lung among rescue workers and others exposed to the WTC site. Sarcoidosis risk appears much higher for responders who worked on the debris pile.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Marc Wilkenfeld of Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, N.Y., discusses the unique role played by occupational and environmental medicine specialists in evaluating and responding to the health hazards created by the September 11 attacks.
"While we cannot reverse the tragic events of that morning in 2001," Dr. Wilkenfeld writes, "we can learn from the events and increase our skills to provide needed expertise to our nation and our patients."
About ACOEMACOEM ( www.acoem.org), an international society of 5,000 occupational physicians and other health care professionals, provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments.
About Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicineThe Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (www.joem.org) is the official journal of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Edited to serve as a guide for physicians, nurses, and researchers, the clinically oriented research articles are an excellent source for new ideas, concepts, techniques, and procedures that can be readily applied in the industrial or commercial employment setting.
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