By Laura Lane
Raoof said the calls were from young men and women. Many said that they swam and jogged before Sept. 11. After the disaster, they found they couldn't do either. Raoof had to do something.
So, Raoof spearheaded creation of the Lung Health Testing Program for Sept. 11 rescue workers at Nassau University. So far, about 300 workers have been tested. Raoof hopes to reach even more.
"Nothing is likely to happen [health-wise], but we have not witnessed anything of this magnitude," Raoof said. "Ten to fifteen years down the road, we don't know how this [exposure to the site] will blossom out. Anyone who was there should come in for an evaluation."
Raoof said that possible contaminants at ground zero include smoke and asbestos, concrete dust, lead and dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and possibly others that have not yet been determined. Most rescue workers did not wear protective masks for the first 72 hours, and Raoof is not sure that even those who later did wear masks were protected fully from the contaminants. Nassau University doctors stressed that rescue and cleanup operations stirred up dust and chemicals, which rescue workers inhaled.
"We are constantly reading reports that come out to find out about the chemicals at the site," Raoof said. "We don't know how much of each chemical was there."
The Lung Health Testing Program uses a private suite on the medical center's 11th floor. All appointments are confidential. The testing, which takes about 1 1/2 hours on average, is performed by five board-certified pulmonologists (all trained at different hospitals), technicians experienced in performing breathing tests and registered nurses.
The patient first fills out a lengthy questioner, then receives a thorough physical exam, takes a simple breathing test to measure lung capacity and receives a chest x-ray. If the tests come back negative and a patient is experiencing symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath or wheezing, the program provides another test, a Methacholine Challenge Test, which Raoof said will often reveal hidden asthma.
Upon completing the tests, the staff will give the patient an overall impression of the results and recommend a follow-up visit in six months. There are now 50 patients in the follow-up program, and doctors have found that most people's symptoms have waned over time.
"Even if patients have no symptoms now, if we have a record of a breathing test and chest x-ray, we can help them in the long run," Raoof said. "The data bank will be available if, God forbid, anything happens to them in the future."
Short-term effects that many rescue workers experienced were irritation of ear, nose and throat, coughing and sneezing, and shortness of breath. Raoof said that long-term effects could include a collection of fluid around the lungs, chronic scarring of the lungs, lung cancer and Mesothelioma (tumors), all possibilities from asbestos exposure. From dust exposure, rescue workers could experience long-term chronic coughing, phlegm production and shortness of breath.
"Many of the people we saw suffered from sinusitis and asthma-like symptoms called RADS [Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome]," Raoof explained. "These are people that never had asthma but have asthma like symptoms."
Raoof said that some patients came for testing because they could not shake off a head cold or were worried of what they might be experiencing physically but could not see or feel. Some were treated with steroid inhalation to reduce their symptoms. Others do not have any symptoms now.
"Twenty percent of the uniformed officers that we saw have sinusitis, 15 to 20 percent have asthma-like symptoms, and 20 percent have RADS," Raoof said. "Being involved in this program will help them in the short and long term."
Raoof is unaware of other hospitals providing a lung-testing program, except Mt. Sinai, Sloan Kettering, and Deborah Lung Hospital in New Jersey. He said that, for many rescue workers from New Jersey, Westchester, and Connecticut, these hospitals are inconvenient and hopes that these people will come to Nassau University to be tested.
"This project has been going on now for six months," Raoof said. "We have had the largest experience in the state of New York."
Nassau University staff would like to see the program continue indefinitely. The Fraternal Order of Police has stepped in to make this a possibility. On Aug. 13, representatives attended a ceremony at the hospital to announce the organization's sponsorship of the WTC Rescue and Recovery Workers Lung Screening Program, presenting the hospital with a check for $100,000. The money is intended to defray some of the costs, which had been covered by workmen's compensation.
President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Frank Ferreyra, said that he had been involved with the hospital's efforts since day one.
"We had many members concerned, and I know that quite a few officers have been affected by the carcinogens at the site," Ferreyra said. "We feel that we may have a lot of members that have fallen through the cracks, officers from other states. We need to ensure their safety."
Ferreyra said that the organization chose Nassau University because many of the officers who responded to the WTC tragedy were from Nassau and Suffolk counties. Organization officials believed it would be more convenient for them to go to a hospital nearby if needed than to fly to another state. He also supports Nassau University's commitment to following the latest research regarding new bacteria and contaminants that may have been at the site.
"We have a moral responsibility to those who gave unselfishly to search and rescue," Ferreyra said. "We want to help those officers and their families. Those that have participated have been very pleased with the service provided at NUMC."
The Fraternal Order of Police intends to give $50,000 a year for the next four years to help the program at Nassau University continue.
"If we save one more life, that will be a lot of lives to save," Ferreyra said. "We are encouraging our brethren that were involved in the rescue and recovery efforts to avail themselves of the potential
life-saving services that are being offered by the Nassau University Medical Center."
Raoof said that the Lung Health Testing Program is available to all people who helped at the site, regardless of whether they were a uniformed officer, and there is no out-of-pocket for it.
"This gives us a good feeling to be able to do something for those brave men and women," Raoof said. "They made many sacrifices for us."
To schedule an appointment with the lung-testing program, call (516) 572-1303
