Persistent Post-9/11 Hearing Problems Among World Trade Center Health Registry Rescue and Recovery Workers, 2001 to 2007. Issue 12 (December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stein, Cheryl R.; Lee, David J.; Flamme, Gregory A.; Cone, James E.
• Is Part Of: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 59:Issue 12(2017)
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Subjects: Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Occupational Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental health; Medicine, Industrial; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9803
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001171
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1076-2752

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To examine the association between 9/11-related exposures and self-reported hearing problems among 16, 579 rescue/recovery workers in the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry. Methods: Using Registry Waves 1 (2003 to 2004) and 2 (2006 to 2007), we modeled the association between two metrics of 9/11-related exposures and hearing difficulties. Results: The prevalence of incident, persistent hearing problems was 4.4%. In a fully adjusted model, workers with higher environmental hazards scores were twice as likely (interquartile range OR 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8, 2.5) to report hearing problems. Based on the same fully adjusted model, workers unable to hear in the dust cloud were 2.3 (95% CI 1.8, 3.0) times more likely to report hearing problems as compared with workers not in the dust cloud. Conclusions: We observed a consistent association between WTC-related exposures and self-reported hearing problems among rescue/recovery workers. Abstract : Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text