After two hijacked passenger planes struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, sending the two towers to the ground, a cloud of dust, debris and chemicals filled the air in New York.
The terror attack that killed almost 3,000 people 16 years ago has left a number of long-term health effects on its survivors that research is only now revealing, according to ABC-15. Notably, dust particles, which included carcinogens like perfluoroalkyl substances, settled throughout homes, schools and other places in New York, which caused residents to breathe in the toxic fumes.
Some studies, like one published in the journal Environmental Research in April, discuss the prevalence of PFASs in children exposed to this dust. These children had 20 percent higher levels of PFASs compared to children not living near the site, which puts them at a greater risk for high cholesterol, specifically low-density lipoprotein.
Other studies have linked dust in the wake of 9/11 to increased rates of asthma in children living near the site. Studies have also linked the event to post-traumatic stress disorder, which may be associated with heart disease, according to ABC-15.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene also tracks 9/11-related health conditions in its World Trade Center Health Registry. Of the registry's enrollees, 3,200 were 18 years or younger on 9/11.
"The most common 9/11-related health outcomes are PTSD, depression, respiratory-type conditions including asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease," World Trade Center Health Registry Director Mark Farfel told ABC-15, adding other potential conditions include heart disease in adults, the inflammatory disease sarcoidosis and increased smoking and drinking.
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