Recent study of U.S. government provides the latest evidence of
a systematic cover-up of the health toll from pollution after
the 9/11 disaster, which doctors fear will cause more deaths
than the attacks themselves.
Belfast Telegraph says, The Bush administration suppressed
evidence of increasing danger and officially announced that
the air around the felled buildings was "safe to breathe".
But results of the government study, conducted by a consortium
of researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Columbia
University, New York University, Johns Hopkins University, The
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, show exposure-related
increases in new-onset cough, wheeze, shortness of breath, and
bronchial hyperreactivity more than 2½ years after the disaster.
Ambient air samples showed that asbestos levels in the WTC area
were initially elevated following the September 11 attacks, but
fell to within federal standards after the first few days.
"More research is needed to determine whether long-term exposure
to asbestos fibers might lead to an increased risk of lung
mesothelioma, a rare cancer that has been linked to asbestos
exposure," said Landrigan. "Previous studies have shown the short
chrysotile fibers found in the WTC dust to be the predominant
fiber in lung mesothelioma tissue."
It is important to note that symptoms of mesothelioma may not
appear until 30-50 years after exposure to asbestos.
Often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are:
* shortness of breath,
* pain in the chest
Peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms include:
* weight loss,
* abdominal pain,
* swelling,
* bowel obstruction,
* blood clotting,
* anemia,
* fever.
If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts
of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or
swelling of the neck or face.
It is very important to see a doctor about any of these symptoms.
Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.
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