Abstract
Asthma diagnoses in the pediatric population of Manhattan’s Chinatown increased 50% in the year after September 11, 2001. Peak expiratory flow rates were reduced for those previously-diagnosed asthmatics living within 5 miles of Ground Zero, with increased asthma medication use and visits to the pediatrician for asthma. Years later, spirometry values for those alive in the neighborhood on 9/11, those born on 9/11, and those born thereafter are all reduced. The ongoing ambient air pollution with airborne metals suggests a two hit hypothesis with 9/11 plus post-9/11 air pollution, the latter likely related to traffic over the Manhattan Bridge. These studies and those by Trasande suggest a need for long-term monitoring of this vulnerable population.
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Szema, A.M. (2018). Asthma in Children from New York City’s Chinatown Post-9/11. In: Szema, A. (eds) World Trade Center Pulmonary Diseases and Multi-Organ System Manifestations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59372-2_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59372-2_5
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