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Study addresses lung damage after September 11

Respiratory Care Weekly, August 23, 2006

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, more details have surfaced about how the toxic mix of dust, chemicals, and smoke from the buildings affected the respiratory systems of the cleanup and rescue workers. Many of the 12,079 New York Fire Department employees suffered the equivalent of a natural 12-year decline in lung function, according to the August issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The study reports that while some workers blame lung problems on policies implemented during the cleanup efforts, new data seems to indicate that breathing air immediately after and within two days of the buildings' collapse caused the bulk of the respiratory injuries.

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