Children exposed to 9/11 'dust' show signs of heart disease risk
Children exposed to chemicals in 9/11 debris show early signs of heart disease risk, according to a new study.
Sixteen years after the World Trade Center towers collapsed and covered Lower Manhattan in a cloud of toxic dust, NYU Langone Health researchers analyzed blood tests of 308 children, almost half of whom may have come into direct contact with the debris on 9/11.
Kids with higher blood levels of the chemicals known to be in the dust had elevated levels of artery-hardening fats in their blood, reveals the report published Thursday in the journal Environmental International.
“Only now are the potential physical consequences of being within the disaster zone itself becoming clear,” said health epidemiologist Leonardo Trasande, an associate professor at NYU School of Medicine and the study’s lead investigator. The study is the first to link long-term cardiovascular health risks in children from toxic chemical exposure on 9/11.
RELATED: A look at the dust and ash after 9/11
The long-term danger could be because of exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — chemicals released into the air as electronics and furniture in the towers burned.
These chemicals include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), widely used to make plastics more flexible. U.S. manufacturers to stop using it in 2014 when its dangerous health effects were found, including lower-than-normal birthweights and brain damage.
Children exposed to 9/11 debris had significantly higher PFOA blood levels than the children who were not in the city on the day of the attack.
The most recent analysis found that roughly every threefold increase in blood PFOA levels was tied to an average 9% to 15% increase in blood fats, which are known risk factors for heart disease. These risks, however, can be countered with diet and exercise.
“Early intervention can alleviate some of the dangers to health posed by the disaster,” said Trasande.
RELATED: A look back at people coming together on 9/11
