Serum perfluoroalkyl substances and lung function in adolescents exposed to the World Trade Center disaster.
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SUBMITTER: Gaylord A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8336627 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundLarge amounts of various chemical contaminants, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), were released at the time of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. Thousands of children who lived and/or attended school near the disaster site were exposed to these substances but few studies have examined the possible consequences related to these exposures.ObjectivesTo examine the relationship of PFASs serum levels with cardiometabolic profile in children and adolescents enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) and a matched comparison group.MethodsWe evaluated WTCHR enrollees who resided in New York City and were born between September 11, 1993 and September 10, 2001, and a matched comparison group consisting of individuals who were ineligible for WTCHR participation upon distance of their home, school or work from the WTC and lack of participation in rescue and recovery activities. Matching was based on date of birth, sex, race, ethnicity, and income. We assessed exposure to PFASs, as measured by serum levels and association with cardiometabolic profile as measured by arterial wall stiffness, body mass index, insulin resistance, fasting total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides.ResultsA total of 402 participants completed the study and serum samples were analyzed from 308 participants, 123 in the WTCHR group and 185 in the comparison group. In multivariable regression analysis, after adjusting for relevant confounders, we observed a significant, positive association of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) with triglycerides (beta coefficient=0.14, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.27, 15.1% change), total cholesterol (beta coefficient=0.09, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.14, 9.2% change), and LDL cholesterol (beta coefficient=0.11, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.19, 11.5% change). Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid levels were associated with decreased insulin resistance (beta coefficient=-0.09, 95% CI: -0.18, -0.003, -8.6% change); PFOA and perfluorononanoic acid were associated with increased brachial artery distensibility.ConclusionsThis research adds to our knowledge of the physical health impacts in a large group of children exposed to the WTC disaster. Abnormal lipid levels in young adults might be an early marker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases and our findings highlight the importance of conducting longitudinal studies in this population.
| S-EPMC5660646 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may have been released during the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 9/11. Evidence suggests PFAS can cross the placental barrier in humans and cause harm to the developing fetus; however, no studies have measured PFAS in mothers exposed to the WTC disaster during pregnancy. We measured PFAS in maternal plasma (n = 48) or cord blood (n = 231) from pregnant women in the Columbia University WTC birth cohort, enrolled between December 13, 2001 and June 26, 2002 at one of three hospitals located near the WTC site. In order to maximize sample size, we used a linear regression to transform the 48 maternal plasma samples to cord blood equivalents in our study; cord blood and transformed maternal plasma-to-cord blood samples were then analyzed together. We evaluated the association between WTC exposure and PFAS concentrations using three exposure variables: 1) living/working within two miles of WTC; 2) living within two miles of WTC regardless of work location; and 3) working but not living within two miles of WTC. Exposure was compared with those not living/working within two miles of WTC (reference group). Living/working within two miles of WTC was associated with 13% higher perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations compared with the reference group [GMR (95% CI): 1.13 (1.01, 1.27)]. The association was stronger when comparing only those who lived within two miles of WTC to the reference group [GMR (95% CI): 1.17 (1.03, 1.33)], regardless of work location. Our results provide evidence that exposure to the WTC disaster during pregnancy resulted in increases in PFAS concentrations, specifically PFOA. This work identifies a potentially vulnerable and overlooked population, children exposed to the WTC disaster in utero, and highlights the importance of future longitudinal studies in this cohort to investigate later life effects resulting from these early life exposures.
| S-EPMC6402332 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:Few studies have examined the possible cardiometabolic consequences of World Trade Center-related exposures on children who lived and/or attended school near the disaster site. Our objective was to compare cardiometabolic profiles of participants in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) with a matched comparison group. METHODS:We evaluated WTCHR enrollees who resided in New York City and were born between September 11, 1993 and September 10, 2001, and a matched comparison group. We assessed exposure to dust cloud, home dust, as well as traumatic exposure, and associations with blood pressure, arterial wall stiffness, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, and LDL. RESULTS:A total of 402 participants completed the study, 222 in the comparison group and 180 in the WTCHR group. In multivariable regression analysis, after adjusting for relevant confounders we detected a weak association between participation in the WTCHR group and lower BMI (-1.12kg/m2, 95% CI -2.11, -0.12; p = 0.03), which became non-significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. With respect to traumatic and psychosocial exposures, the only association that persisted in our multivariable model, below our predefined level of significance, was between post-traumatic stress disorder and higher BMI (2.06kg/m2, 95% CI 0.37, 3.74; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS:Our findings do not support an association between self-reported exposures to the WTC disaster and adverse cardiometabolic profile. However, further longitudinal studies may better inform the full extent of WTC-related conditions associated with exposure to the disaster.
| S-EPMC5712452 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo compare lung function in a representative sample of World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed children with matched comparisons, and examine relationships with reported exposures.Study designStudy population consisted of 402 participants. Oscillometry, spirometry, and plethysmography were performed on WTC Health Registry (WTCHR) respondents who were ≤8 years of age on September 11, 2001 (n = 180) and a sociodemographically matched group of New York City residents (n = 222). We compared lung function by study arm (WTCHR and comparison group) as well as dust cloud (acute); home dust (subchronic); and other traumatic, nondust exposures.ResultsIn multivariable models, post-9/11 risk of incident asthma was higher in the WTCHR participants than in the comparison group (OR 1.109, 95% CI 1.021, 1.206; P = .015). Comparing by exposure rather than by group, dust cloud (OR 1.223, 95% CI 1.095, 1.365; P < .001) and home dust (OR 1.123, 95% CI 1.029, 1.226; P = .009) exposures were also associated with a greater risk of incidence of post-9/11 asthma. No differences were identified for lung function measures.ConclusionsAlthough we cannot exclude an alternative explanation to the null findings, these results may provide some measure of reassurance to exposed children and their families regarding long-term consequences. Further study with bronchodilation and/or methacholine challenge may be needed to identify and further evaluate effects of WTC exposure. Biomarker studies may also be more informative in delineating exposure-outcome relationships.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02068183.
| S-EPMC8336626 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The primary goal of this pilot study was to assess feasibility of studies among local community members to address the hypothesis that complex exposures to the World Trade Center (WTC) dust and fumes resulted in long-term epigenetic changes. We enrolled 18 WTC-exposed cancer-free women from the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC) who agreed to donate blood samples during their standard clinical visits. As a reference WTC unexposed group, we randomly selected 24 age-matched cancer-free women from an existing prospective cohort who donated blood samples before 11 September 2001. The global DNA methylation analyses were performed using Illumina Infinium MethylationEpic arrays. Statistical analyses were performed using R Bioconductor package. Functional genomic analyses were done by mapping the top 5000 differentially expressed CpG sites to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathway database. Among cancer-free subjects, we observed substantial methylation differences between WTC-exposed and unexposed women. The top 15 differentially methylated gene probes included BCAS2, OSGIN1, BMI1, EEF1A2, SPTBN5, CHD8, CDCA7L, AIDA, DDN, SNORD45C, ZFAND6, ARHGEF7, UBXN8, USF1, and USP12. Several cancer-related pathways were enriched in the WTC-exposed subjects, including endocytosis, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), viral carcinogenesis, as well as Ras-associated protein-1 (Rap1) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. The study provides preliminary data on substantial differences in DNA methylation between WTC-exposed and unexposed populations that require validation in further studies.
| S-EPMC7432006 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceThe World Trade Center (WTC) attacks on September 11, 2001, created an unprecedented environmental exposure to known and suspected carcinogens suggested to increase the risk of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is consistently preceded by the precursor states of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and light-chain MGUS, detectable in peripheral blood.ObjectiveTo characterize WTC-exposed firefighters with a diagnosis of multiple myeloma and to conduct a screening study for MGUS and light-chain MGUS.Design, setting, and participantsCase series of multiple myeloma in firefighters diagnosed between September 11, 2001, and July 1, 2017, together with a seroprevalence study of MGUS in serum samples collected from Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) firefighters between December 2013 and October 2015. Participants included all WTC-exposed FDNY white, male firefighters with a confirmed physician diagnosis of multiple myeloma (n = 16) and WTC-exposed FDNY white male firefighters older than 50 years with available serum samples (n = 781).ExposuresWTC exposure defined as rescue and/or recovery work at the WTC site between September 11, 2001, and July 25, 2002.Main outcomes and measuresMultiple myeloma case information, and age-adjusted and age-specific prevalence rates for overall MGUS (ie, MGUS and light-chain MGUS), MGUS, and light-chain MGUS.ResultsSixteen WTC-exposed white male firefighters received a diagnosis of multiple myeloma after September 11, 2001; median age at diagnosis was 57 years (interquartile range, 50-68 years). Serum/urine monoclonal protein isotype/free light-chain data were available for 14 cases; 7 (50%) had light-chain multiple myeloma. In a subset of 7 patients, myeloma cells were assessed for CD20 expression; 5 (71%) were CD20 positive. In the screening study, we assayed peripheral blood from 781 WTC-exposed firefighters. The age-standardized prevalence rate of MGUS and light-chain MGUS combined was 7.63 per 100 persons (95% CI, 5.45-9.81), 1.8-fold higher than rates from the Olmsted County, Minnesota, white male reference population (relative rate, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.34-2.29). The age-standardized prevalence rate of light-chain MGUS was more than 3-fold higher than in the same reference population (relative rate, 3.13; 95% CI, 1.99-4.93).Conclusions and relevanceEnvironmental exposure to the WTC disaster site is associated with myeloma precursor disease (MGUS and light-chain MGUS) and may be a risk factor for the development of multiple myeloma at an earlier age, particularly the light-chain subtype.
| S-EPMC6145680 | biostudies-literature
Project description:It is increasingly important to study the impact of environmental inhalation exposures on human health in natural or man-made disasters in civilian populations. The members of the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC; WTC Survivors) had complex exposures to environmental disaster from the destruction of WTC towers and can serve to reveal the effects of WTC exposure on the entire spectrum of lung functions. We aimed to investigate the associations between complex WTC exposures and measures of spirometry and oscillometry in WTC Survivors and included 3605 patients enrolled between Oct 1, 2009 and Mar 31, 2018. We performed latent class analysis and identified five latent exposure groups. We applied linear and quantile regressions to estimate the exposure effects on the means and various quantiles of pre-bronchodilator (BD) % predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC ratio, as well as the resistance at an oscillating frequency of 5 Hz (R5), frequency dependence of resistance R5-20, and reactance area (AX). Compared with Group 5, which had low or unknown exposure and was treated as the reference group, Group 1, the local workers with both acute and chronic exposures, had a lower median of % predicted FVC (-3.6; 95% CI: -5.4, -1.7) and higher (more abnormal) measures of AX at 10th quantile (0.77 cmH2O L-1 s; 95% CI: 0.41, 1.13) and 25th quantile (0.80 cmH2O L-1 s; 95% CI: 0.41, 1.20). Results suggested heterogeneous exposures to the WTC disaster had differential effects on the distributions of lung functions in the WTC Survivors. These findings could provide insights for future investigation of environmental disaster exposures.
| S-EPMC9958097 | biostudies-literature
Project description:An elevated risk of myeloma precursor disease, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), was identified among Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed firefighters. Further investigation was needed to determine if these findings were reproducible in a more heterogeneous WTC-exposed rescue/recovery workers cohort, the Stony Brook University-General Responder Cohort GRC (SBU-GRC). MGUS risk was compared between the cohorts and to published general population estimates from Olmsted County, MN, USA. In this observational seroprevalence study, odds ratios (OR) and age-standardized risk ratios (RR) of MGUS (M-spike and light-chain-MGUS combined), M-spike, and light-chain-MGUS were estimated using logistic regression. Age-standardized prevalences were calculated for white males aged 50-79; RRs were estimated by comparing risk in the WTC-exposed cohort with the Olmsted County screened cohort. SBU-GRC had elevated odds of MGUS compared with FDNY (OR = 1.38; 95%CI = 1.00-1.89). The age-standardized prevalence of MGUS was 9.0/100 persons (95%CI = 7.5-10.6), over two-fold higher than the general population (RR = 2.08; 95%CI = 1.72-2.51); the age-standardized prevalence of light-chain-MGUS was 3.5-fold higher (RR = 3.54; 95%CI = 2.52-4.97). This study adds to mounting evidence supporting an association between WTC/environmental exposures and MGUS among rescue/recovery workers. Access to MGUS screenings for the entire WTC-exposed cohort could allow for treatment interventions that improve survival.
| S-EPMC9395354 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11, 2001 released a dust cloud containing numerous environmental contaminants, including polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). PCDD/Fs are toxic and are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes including cancer, diabetes, and impaired reproductive and immunologic function. Prior studies have found adults exposed to the WTC disaster to have elevated levels of PCDD/Fs. This is the first study to assess PCDD/F levels in WTC-exposed children.MethodsThis analysis includes 110 participants, a subset of the 2014-2016 WTC Adolescent Health Study, a group of both exposed youths who lived, attended school, or were present in lower Manhattan on 9/11 recruited from the WTC Health Registry (WTCHR) and unexposed youths frequency matched on age, sex, race, ethnicity, and income. Our sample was selected to maximize the contrast in their exposure to dust from the WTC collapse. Questionnaire data, including items about chronic home dust and acute dust cloud exposure, anthropometric measures, and biologic specimens were collected during a clinic visit. Serum PCDD/F concentrations were measured according to a standardized procedure at the New York State Department of Health Organic Analytical Laboratory. We used multivariable linear regression to assess differences in PCCD/Fs between WTCHR and non-WTCHR participants. We also compared mean and median PCDD/F and toxic equivalency (TEQ) concentrations in our cohort to 2003-4 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) levels for youths age 12-19.ResultsMedian PCDD/F levels were statistically significantly higher among WTCHR participants compared to non-WTCHR participants for 16 out of 17 congeners. Mean and median TEQ concentrations in WTCHR participants were >7 times those in non-WTCHR participants (72.5 vs. 10.1 and 25. 3 vs. 3.39pg/g lipid, respectively). Among WTCHR participants, median concentrations of several PCDD/Fs were higher than the NHANES 95th percentiles. After controlling for dust cloud exposure, home dust exposure was significantly associated with higher PCDD/F level.ConclusionsAdolescents in lower Manhattan on the day of the WTC attack and exposed to particulate contamination from the WTC collapse had significantly elevated PCDD/F levels >12years later compared to a matched comparison group, driven by chronic home dust exposure rather than acute dust cloud exposure. PCDD/F and TEQ levels substantially exceeded those in similar-aged NHANES participants. Future studies are warranted to explore associations of PCDD/Fs with health and developmental outcomes among individuals exposed to the WTC disaster as children.
| S-EPMC5800899 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Importance:Elevated rates of cancer have been reported in individuals exposed to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, including Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) rescue and recovery workers. Objective:To project the future burden of cancer in WTC-exposed FDNY rescue and recovery workers by estimating the 20-year cancer incidence. Design, Setting, and Participants:A total of 14 474 WTC-exposed FDNY employees who were cancer-free on January 1, 2012; subgroup analyses were conducted of the cohort's white male population (n = 12 374). In this closed-cohort study, we projected cancer incidence for the January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2031, period. Simulations were run using demographic-specific New York City (NYC) cancer and national mortality rates for each individual, summed for the whole cohort, and performed 1000 times to produce mean estimates. Additional analyses in the subgroup of white men compared case counts produced by using 2007-2011 FDNY WTC Health Program (FDNY-WTCHP) cancer rates vs NYC rates. Average and 20-year aggregate costs of first-year cancer care were estimated using claims data. Exposures:World Trade Center disaster exposure defined as rescue and recovery work at the WTC site at any time from September 11, 2001, to July 25, 2002. Main Outcomes and Measures:(1) Projected number of incident cancers in the full cohort, based on NYC cancer rates; (2) cancer incidence estimates in the subgroup projected using FDNY-WTCHP vs NYC rates; and (3) estimated first-year treatment costs of incident cancers. Results:On January 1, 2012, the cohort was 96.8% male, 87.1% white, and had a mean (SD) age of 50.2 (9.2) years. The projected number of incident cancer cases was 2960 (95% CI, 2883-3037). In our subgroup analyses using FDNY-WTCHP vs NYC cancer rates, the projected number of new cases in white men was elevated (2714 [95% CI, 2638-2786] vs 2596 [95% CI, 2524-2668]). Accordingly, we expect more prostate (1437 [95% CI, 1383-1495] vs 863 [95% CI, 816-910]), thyroid (73 [95% CI, 60-86] vs 57 [95% CI, 44-69]), and melanoma cases (201 [95% CI, 179-223] vs 131 [95% CI, 112-150), but fewer lung (237 [95% CI, 212-262] vs 373 [95% CI, 343-405]), colorectal (172 [95% CI, 152-191] vs 267 [95% CI, 241-292]), and kidney cancers (66 [95% CI, 54-80] vs 132 [95% CI, 114-152]) (P < .001 for all comparisons). The estimated 20-year cost of first-year treatment was $235 835 412 (95% CI, $187 582 227-$284 088 597). Conclusions and Relevance:We project that the FDNY-WTCHP cohort will experience a greater cancer burden than would be expected from a demographically similar population. This underscores the importance of cancer prevention efforts and routine screening in WTC-exposed rescue and recovery workers.
| S-EPMC5933461 | biostudies-literature