Exposures among Pregnant Women near the World Trade Center Site on 9/11
Mary S. Wolff, Susan Teitelbaum, Paul J. Lioy, Regina Santella, Panos Georgopoulos, Wei Li, Gertrud Berkowitz (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and Columbia University)
Introduction: We have characterized exposure among 187 women who were pregnant and near or at the World Trade Center (WTC) within 1-5 days after 9/11 and who are enrolled in a prospective cohort study of health effects.
Methods: We assessed exposures using geographic models, interview, and biologic markers. Women recorded their locations from 9/11 until October 11, 2001 using a time-activity log. Exposures were assessed by time spent in 5 zones around the WTC and by an exposure index (EI) based on plume reconstruction and time per day at specific street addresses within these zones. We measured selected chemicals in blood and urine specimens collected starting in February 2002, in order to determine levels of PAH-DNA adducts and other biomarkers of exposure.
Results: A large proportion (>70%) of these women was within 8 blocks of the WTC at 9 a.m. on 9/11/2001, and 12 were in one of the towers. EI was highest immediately after 9/11, was lower but highly variable over the next 4 weeks. EI was associated with recalled air quality in lower Manhattan and with time spent during site evacuation, living, and working in the WTC area. PAH-DNA adducts were higher among women whose blood was collected sooner after 9/11, but no remarkable patterns of association with EI or other potential source were seen.
Discussion: This report suggests that intense bystander exposure occurred after the WTC collapse, and provides information about non-occupational exposures.