Screening Program May Shed Light On Exposure to Contaminants
Most workers and volunteers at Ground Zero have long returned to their old jobs or taken new assignments far from the once-devastated site. But the issue of potential health risks for as many as 30,000 participants, in construction and other sectors, could stay with them. The impact of exposure to site contaminants is only now being felt as worker screening expands, providing new data on collective symptoms and possibly new fuel for litigation.
In July, the Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine at New York City's Mount Sinai Medical Center launched a $12-million effort to screen Ground Zero workers, including those involved at Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, for respiratory, psychological and other conditions. The federally funded effort will cover 8,500 exams, including 1,000 outside New York City, over the next year. Federal and state employees and city firefighters are being screened in other efforts.