Health Care Without Harm:
Health after 9/11, Possible Studies
Health Care Without Harm Campaign (iatp-hcwh@iatp.org)
Posted: 10/17/2001
By sbcac@earthlink.net
This message includes information on NYC HCWH orgs who have
worked in rescue and recovery efforts, as well as proposed health studies
of affected workers and residents which would be of interest to HCWHers,
because what we saw at the world trade center included an open burn, the
uncontrolled, unfiltered incineration of thousands of highly toxic substances--including
chlorinated plastics. In a meeting last week with the New York City Dept
of Health we were informed of the following studies where funding has
been applied for:
- Columbia and Johns Hopkins have applied for funding to do a study
on dioxin in workers in the area.
- The Mt. Sinai and Columbia Centers for children's Environmental Health
are applying for NIEHS $. for a study on pregnancies exposed at Ground
Zero. Among other things they will be looking for bio-markers in moms
and cord blood, and would hope to follow infants for long term health
affects.
- NIOSH and the firefighters and police union are planning a longitudinal
study of emergency responders. This study will also include Bio-markers
These studies are particularly important because current monitoring
is only being done for asbestos and particulates. It is unclear what
monitoring was done in the first week, and none of those initial results
are being made available to the public. Thus, we do not know from ambient
monitoring what the extent of exposures were in the affected area. The
results of the studies on affected persons may help our P2 and anti-incineration
work.
Anyone who has the political connections to help encourage funding for
these studies would be welcomed.
Also--three HCWH member organizations in NY have been active participants
in health 9/11 health efforts. I'm sure they would appreciate hearing
from you. The are the New York Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health,
which has done amazing work on worker exposures and health in the area.
Their website, www.nycosh.org is
chock full of wonderful information. check it out. 1199 SEIU, the health
workers union here in NYC, lost one of their EMT members who perished
at the site. The the latest (Oct.) issue of their magazine, which has
information on this member as well as the wonderful work of 1199ers and
other health workers in hospitals near the site will be online soon at
www.1199seiu-online.org
but there is some information already available at http://www.seiu.org/political_action/getinvolved/tragedy_roster_hlth_workers
.cfm and http://www.seiu.org/political_action/getinvolved/tragedy_members.cfm
Contact 1199 to contribute to a fund for the EMT Marc Sullins' family,
or to help 1000's other dead, injured or displaced SEIU workers at the
site. The New York State Nurses Assn also has information on their website,
www.nysna.org, including very moving
stories of nurses who have treated the injured and seen the dead.
Bill Ravanesi MA, MPH
Boston Campaign Director
Health Care Without Harm
19 Pleasantview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
617-524-2366 Boston Office
413-565-2315 residential office
413-565-2474 fax
http://www.noharm.org
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