DISEASES

WORLD TRADE CENTER EXPOSURE SYMPTOMS & ILLNESSES

Most of the symptoms that exposed workers and residents have experienced involve the respiratory system. This is because most of the people who were exposed to the toxins and other substances inhaled these hazardous toxins through their lungs. Among the symptoms that are being reported are:

Excessive coughing

Wheezing

Shortness of breath

Asthmatic attacks

Phlegm production

Nervous disorders

Skin irritations

Sinus, nasal and postnasal congestion

Heartburn

Hoarseness and throat irritation

Doctors have diagnosed patients with diseases and illnesses that they believe stem from their patients’ exposure to these hazardous toxins. Among these diseases and illnesses are:

Lung cancer

Lung disease

Bronchitis

Asthma

WTC Cough (a cough so severe that it could cause a person to be out of work for many weeks)

Upper Airway Cough Syndrome

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Nervous disorders

A recent study by the Mount Sinai Hospital found that 70% of the WTC workers that they studied suffer from some type of lung illnesses. Many of these workers were in good health before September 11th.

The above symptoms and illnesses represent what the workers and community residents are experiencing today. There are other serious risks that flow from people’s exposure to these hazardous toxins that will not arise until sometime in the future, the most important of which is the risk of developing cancer. Many of the hazardous toxins in the air after September 11th were carcinogenic (cancer causers). The cancer caused by these toxins may not appear for 20-30 years in the future. In order to catch this life threatening disease before it fully develops, the WTC workers and lower Manhattan residents should be medically monitored on a continuous basis so that the symptoms can be diagnosed as early as possible.