A study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that Fire Department of New York (FDNY) firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) workers who responded to the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center have suffered significant, persistent declines in lung functions. According to the report, exposure to World Trade Center dust created when the towers collapsed led to “large declines” in lung functions for FDNY rescue workers during the first year, and that “the declines were persistent, without recovery over the next 6 years, leaving a substantial proportion of workers with abnormal lung function.”

The study included 12,781 workers who were present at the WTC site between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 24, 2001, which is 91.6 percent of the workers that were present. The report notes that the event exposed the workers – as well as those living and working in the surrounding area – to a dense cloud of pulverized building materials and chemical byproducts, including pulverized glass and cement, insulation fibers including asbestos, and toxic chemicals.

According to a report in The New York Times that summarizes the study findings, this is the first study to document long-term harm in a large group of firefighters and emergency medical workers who worked at Ground Zero. All of the subjects of the study had had previous lung function tests, providing a baseline for the study.

The study was authored by Dr. David J. Prezant, chief medical officer in the Office of Medical Affairs at the New York City Fire Department. The study was approved by the institutional review board at Montefiore Medical Center.

Results of the study revealed that firefighters, who had heavier exposure to dust by the nature of their work had greater first-year declines than EMS personnel, especially for firefighters who were present in the morning on 9/11, when the dust cloud was most intense after the buildings fell. However, researchers noted they were surprised to see “little or no recovery of average lung function during the 6-year follow-up period.” In fact, they noted continued decline in lung function among the study groups.

Normally, the study notes, “smoke inhalation during firefighting causes relatively mild and reversible respiratory impairment.” Additionally, according to the report, long-term effects of firefighting on pulmonary function also are normally mild.

The average loss of lung function for 9/11 rescue workers is about 10 percent. Most of the loss occurred within the first year after 9/11 exposure, with little or no subsequent recovery.

Thousands of workers injured at Ground Zero have been fighting for compensation from the City of New York. Last month about 10,000 plaintiffs reached a settlement agreement totaling $657.5 million, but a judge rejected the settlement shortly afterward, saying it did not provide enough compensation for the plaintiffs. The matter is now back in negotiations, and a new hearing is set for Monday, according to the Times.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange presented a proclamation today declaring April 1-7 as Asbestos Awareness Week in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. The proclamation supports National Asbestos Awareness Week, as established by Senate Resolution 427.

It is the purpose of Asbestos Awareness Week to raise public awareness about the prevalence of asbestos and the dangers of asbestos exposure in the United States and around the world. Microscopic asbestos fibers can be inhaled or ingested, and imbed themselves in the body where they can cause diseases such as asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that can affect the chest and lungs, the abdomen or the heart.

The U.S. Congress has recognized a National Asbestos Awareness Day or Week for the past six years. The awareness effort is a project of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which is the largest organization in the United States serving as the voice of asbestos victims. The ADAO lobbies for the complete ban of asbestos and asbestos-containing products in the U.S. It is estimated that within the next decade 100,000 workers around the world will die of an asbestos-related disease. That equals 30 deaths each day.

For more information, visit ADAO online.

This week the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) alerted me through a link on their web site to an update in the ongoing mesothelioma study in Minnesota. We have been following this study, which is investigating the high incidence of mesothelioma among Iron Range miners in that state. According to a report in the Duluth News Tribune, the study has identified four new cases of mesothelioma.

The five-year study is being directed by the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health, and funded by a $4.9 million grant from the Minnestoa state legislature. The new cases bring the total number of former miners diagnosed with mesothelioma to 63.

Mesothelioma has traditionally been linked exclusively to asbestos. However, an investigation into the link between taconite mining – which takes place in what is known as Minnesota’s Iron Range, – began when state health officials noted an unusually high incidence of mesothelioma occurring in taconite mine workers. Mesothelioma occurs at twice the expected rate in the Iron Range.

As part of the study, researchers are screening workers and their immediate families. To date, they have interviewed about 1,000 people, and would like to double that number.

Taconite is an iron-bearing, flint-like rock. Processed taconite pellets are used in the steel making industry.  To process taconite, the ore is ground into a fine powder, the iron is separated from the waste rock using strong magnets and the powdered iron concentrate is combined with bentonite clay and limestone and rolled into pellets. The Mesabi Iron Range region of Minnesota is a major taconite production area.

More information is available at the project’s official web site for Minnesota Taconite Workers Health Study.

Pictured above are processed taconite pellets. Source: Wikipedia

Traditionally, April 1 has been designated by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) as Asbestos Awareness Day. The day has been officially recognized by U.S. Congress proclamation for the past six years. In recent years, the awareness effort has expanded, and now the first week of April is officially designated as Asbestos Awareness Week. The theme for the awareness week is “Knowledge is stronger than asbestos.”

On March 26, the ADAO praised the U.S. Senate for passage of the sixth annual resolution establishing National Asbestos Awareness Week. Senate Resolution 427 also urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate Americans about the severe hazards of asbestos exposure.

The ADAO is the largest organization in the United States serving as the voice of asbestos victims, and lobbies for the complete ban of asbestos and asbestos-containing products in the U.S. Asbestos exposure is linked to the development of a number of diseases, including asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs; and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and chest, abdomen or the heart. According to statistics compiled by ADAO, in the next decade it is estimated that 100,000 workers around the world will die of an asbestos-related disease. This equals 30 deaths each day.

ADAO co-founder and CEO Linda Reinstein said, “We are grateful to the U.S. Senate for unanimously passing S. Res. 427 that will increase public awareness about asbestos, a known human carcinogen. For the past six years, ADAO has seen that a week of awareness enables agencies, institutions and organizations to promote regulatory compliance and enforcement. Americans deserve and want to know how to prevent asbestos in their homes or in the workplace.”

Asbestos Awareness Week 2010 will be held April 1-7. Visit ADAO online for more information about asbestos and its commercial use; how to prevent exposure in homes, schools and workplaces; early warning symptoms and medical treatment options; and to find out more about why asbestos is still not a banned product in the U.S. and how it is used in common household products.

A story published by the New York Times reports thousands of rescue and cleanup workers who were exposed to the toxic air at Ground Zero after the 9/11 tragedy at the World Trade Center have reached a settlement agreement with the city over damage to their health. According to the Times, the city has agreed to pay out up to $657.5 million to about 10,000 plaintiffs in the case.

The settlement agreement has been in the works for about two years, taking place among a great deal of confusion and disagreement about the city’s responsibility for injured workers. The city had claimed it was immune because injuries occurred during a national emergency or civil defense situation. However, injured workers and their families argued they were employed by the city and entitled to compensation as they would be for any injury incurred on the job.

According to the Times report, 95 percent of the plaintiffs in this case must accept the terms of the settlement for it to take effect. Each plaintiff’s case will then be examined individually to determine how much compensation that person will receive, which lawyers estimate could run anywhere from a few thousand dollars to as much as $1 million. Individual compensation will depend on the severity of illness and level of exposure to contaminants at the World Trade Center site.

A variety of health screening and tracking programs were established in the days and months following the September 11 tragedy. Workers and others who simply lived and worked near the disaster site began complaining of a variety of illnesses, especially respiratory problems. There is an official World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, as well as studies conducted by the New York Fire Department and other organizations.

Some health problems presented immediately following exposure to the site, such as respiratory distress, while others are only just showing up in those who worked at the site. It is now known that the Ground Zero site was contaminated with asbestos at levels at least two times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s “safe” level. Because of the long latency period between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma – an average of between 10 and 50 years – the true effect of asbestos exposure may not be known for years to come.

Some of the plaintiffs involved in the current settlement are not yet ill, but fear they will develop illnesses in the future as a result of their exposure to the toxins like asbestos. According to the Times, the settlement provides a $23.4 million insurance policy to cover possible future claims.

Not three months ago, on Dec. 31, it was announced that football and television star Merlin Olsen had been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Today I learned that he has passed away, a victim of this horrible disease that lies in wait to kill. He was only 69 years old.

Olsen was a star defensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams football team, who went on to a television acting career. He played Jonathan Garvey on the series Little House on the Prairie and was the title character of Father Murphy. He also appeared on Fathers and Sons and Aaron’s Way, and filled the role of sportscaster at both CBS and NBC.

Online celebrity news magazine TMZ broke the news in December that Olsen and his family had filed a lawsuit against several companies, including NBC Studios, NBC Universal and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, claiming they were responsible for exposing him to asbestos, which causes mesothelioma. Also named in the suit are Sherwin Williams and Lennox Industries, whose products Olsen says he was exposed to during jobs in his youth.

Read his obituary in the Los Angeles Times.

On December 8, 2009, his alma mater, Utah State University, where he was selected twice as an NCAA All-American, among other honors, announced it would name its football field after him – Merlin Olsen Field. How truly sad that he will never see a team take the field that now bears his name. Watch the tribute video created by the university at the announcement:

What a sad loss of a man who truly seemed to care genuinely for others, for his family and his community. He will be genuinely missed.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) announced registration is now open for the 2010 International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma. The event is set for June 10-12 in Washington, D.C. The annual event includes science presentations from leading mesothelioma experts, breakout sessions for patients, families/caregivers and bereaved, and many community and social activities.

A special part of the Symposium activities is Advocacy Day, during which meso patients and their families travel to Capitol Hill to meet with their Senators and Representatives to ask for increased funding for mesothelioma research and treatment, and for the complete ban of asbestos in the United States.

I had the pleasure of attending this event last year and it is truly an amazing experience. There are touching tributes to those who have lost the fight against mesothelioma, and inspiring stories from those who are winning this battle. You can also gain so much knowledge from the many physicians and researchers who present programs. Many of them are open and available to talk with attendees throughout the conference as well.

You can find more information, including a video and archives of last year’s Symposium presentations, at www.curemeso.org/symposium. You can also view the agenda and register at the web site.  Or, call the Meso Foundation toll free at 877-363-6376.

This week the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) praised Senate leaders for a resolution that declares the first week of April 2010 as “National Asbestos Awareness Week.” This is the sixth year in a row that the ADAO has been active in working with Senate leaders to secure a national resolution in recognition of the dangers of asbestos.

The resolution is sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Co-sponsors and key supporters are Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

A news release from the ADAO quotes the organization’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Linda Reinstein as saying, “We are grateful to the U.S. Senate to have the opportunity to help raise the level of public awareness about the prolific dangers of asbestos and further unite doctors, scientists, and public health advocates during National Asbestos Awareness Week for this important effort. During the past six years, ADAO has seen the progress and indeed, this confirms what Americans deserve and want. We know asbestos prevention and education will save lives and dollars.”

The ADAO was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. It seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. ADAO’s mission includes supporting global advocacy and advancing asbestos awareness, prevention, early detection, treatment, and resources for asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and exposure can cause asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. According to the ADAO news release, studies estimate that during the next decade 100,000 workers around the world will die of an asbestos-related disease. This equals 30 deaths per day.

The ADAO annually holds a conference in conjunction with National Asbestos Awareness Week. The Sixth Annual International Asbestos Conference is set for April 10, 2010, in Chicago, Ill.

For more information about ADAO or for conference registration, visit ADAO online at www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.

The G. R. Little Theatre and the north and south wings of the G.R. Little Library on the campus of Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, NC, are closed until mid-April while crews remove asbestos from the facilities. According to a report by staff writer Kristin Pitts, which appears in the Daily Advance, the asbestos removal is part of a planned renovation that will make the existing facilities more energy efficient. The university is in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for safe asbestos removal.

According to the news report, university spokeswoman Kesha Williams says that other ECSU buildings could potentially contain asbestos, as the material was commonly used in construction prior to the 1970s. However, the material is generally not dangerous unless it is disturbed. The university was proactive in securing an asbestos abatement company to safely remove the existing asbestos during its remodeling of the library and theatre buildings.

During processes like remodeling and demolition, materials containing asbestos may release microscopic fibers that can be inhaled into the lungs. Inhaled asbestos fibers may cause asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, or mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that may affect the lining of the chest and lungs, the abdomen, or, more rarely, the heart.

The news report says Clean Air Environmental, Inc., a Winston-Salem based company, has been contracted to remove the asbestos from the library and theatre buildings. Project manager Omar Martinez told the paper that the company is currently completing the second phase of what it expects will be a three-part asbestos removal process. He told the reporter that the company is using “negative airs and amended water to capture any [asbestos] fibers” and workers double-bag hazardous materials and properly dispose of the hazardous waste to ensure the safety of workers, students and others on campus in the area of the project.

Energy-saving equipment planned for the library and theatre buildings include new lighting fixtures and an upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit.

Health officials in South Korea are recording significant increases in asbestos-related diseases among the country’s population, including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. According to a report by TIME Magazine, the number of mesothelioma diagnoses increased from just 12 in 2001, to 55 new cases in 2007, the most recent year that data is available. It is, “in public health terms, a notable increase,” TIME quotes Paek Dom-yung, an occupational medicine professor at Seoul National University.

While South Korea enjoyed a boom in urban development from the 1960s through the 1980s, it is becoming evident the country’s lax rules on asbestos regulation may have exposed millions of people to health hazards. According to the TIME report, Seoul did not place a full ban on asbestos manufacturing, import and use until last year. It also had no regulations in place for the safe removal of existing asbestos during demolition and remodeling projects.

Now, trade and labor unions in South Korea are calling for the government to take responsibility for workers it knowingly exposed to deadly asbestos, and who are now suffering as a result.

Due to the long latency period between exposure and the development of mesothelioma or other asbestos diseases – which can be as long as 20-50 years – South Korean health officials are bracing for a future epidemic. It is predicted that the incidence of mesothelioma diagnoses in the region will not peak until around 2030.