Boston Globe: 9/11 responders' health woes reach beyond NYC

[Guest guest]

Does this sound familiar? The same heel dragging is going on with those

effected by mold exposure: the majority of doctors don't know how to

recognize,

diagnose and care for patients exposed to mold.

Mulvey son

THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

(http://www.boston.com/news/globe/)

9/11-responders' health woes reach beyond NYC

Critics decry delay in release of federal guidelines on care

By Devlin Barrett, Associated Press | August 26, 2006

NEW YORK -- The lung problems of ground zero worker Jimmy Willis got so bad

that he finally left New York, hoping the dry air of Nevada would blow away

the after-effects of toxic World Trade Center dust.

But when he moved two years ago, Willis also left behind New York-based

medical expertise on Sept. 11-related illnesses, joining a diaspora of hundreds

of ground zero rescue workers scattered throughout the United States.

It is a population many health specialists, union leaders, and politicians

say is vulnerable to poor medical treatment because the government delayed the

release of guidelines that would help doctors nationwide diagnose and treat

illnesses linked to the attacks. A standard medical protocol for healthcare

workers is one element of what a growing chorus of advocates says should be a

long-term, national program to test and treat sick workers.

Five years after the attacks, Willis, 51, has respiratory disease and gastro

intestinal bleeding.

``I've been in and out of the hospital since I've been here, " said Willis, a

former transit worker and onetime union official now living in Las Vegas.

``But they weren't coming back with any answers, and I almost bled to death. "

The creation of testing guidelines, or protocols, was shelved for years.

Most recently, officials indicated a release by the end of this year. The lag

has been criticized by workers' advocates.

``It is outrageous that we don't have protocols five years out, and the

consequences have been unfortunate for many workers, when their doctors across

the country aren't trained to recognize specific symptoms, " said Shufro of

the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, a union group.

The New York City Department of Health is crafting the protocols, but there

is no set deadline for their release. At the same time, the federal

government is promising a website to serve as a clearinghouse for Sept. 11

health

information for people nationwide.

``We're working on it as quickly as we can. We want to make sure it's done

right, and in a way that will provide a service to the responders, " said Fred

Blosser, a spokesman for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health.

The exact number of rescue workers who responded to the attacks is unknown,

although estimates are more than 40,000. In New York, the focal point of

research on Sept. 11-related illnesses has been Mount Sinai Medical Center;

thousands have sought treatment there. Mount Sinai is expected to release its

most

significant findings on sick workers days before the fifth anniversary of

the attacks .

Beyond the city, there is a nationwide network of health clinics that offers

medical screening to Sept. 11 workers.

The program, run by the Association of Environmental and Occupational Health

Clinics, has seen 664 patients, including 121 in the last year. Its clinics

in 33 states offer a battery of tests for those worried that ground zero made

them sick.

Testing guidelines are crucial, however, to helping a doctor in any clinic

or network recognize symptoms, said Kathy Kirkland, the association's

executive director. She said standardized protocols can help alert healthcare

workers

to the less obvious ailments connected to ground zero work.

Take the gastro intestinal problems afflicting Willis.

``That's fairly common among World Trade Center responders, but it's

something a lot of clinicians wouldn't recognize, wouldn't know, " she said.

Or the lungs. A standard pulmonary test doesn't show the extent of Sept.

11-related damage because although it can measure lung capacity, it doesn't

gauge the wear-and-tear inflicted on the organs, she said.

``A lot of guys on the surface seem to have normal lung function, but

compared to what they had before, their lungs have aged a whole lot faster than

they should have, " Kirkland said. ``Again, that's not something the average

clinician would think to check. "

The out-of-state rescue teams that responded have some advantages: On

balance, they stayed on the smoking pit for fewer days, and many arrived with

respiratory gear. Still, concerns linger .

``We still talk about it when someone gets sick, " said firefighter Terry

Trepanier, who returned to Ohio with ``World Trade Center cough " and failed his

first lung test . ``In the back of our minds, we wonder if this is something

from the World Trade Center, or is it just something else. "

© _Copyright_ (http://www.boston.com/help/bostoncom_info/copyright) 2006 The

New York Times Company

[Guest guest]

I know that some people will probably get mad at me for bringing this

up but there is a very scary aspect to this situation..

The federal government suspended normal workplace safety rules after

9-11 and so, like it or not, many people had no choice but to work in

these toxic environments - often without protection - or lose their

jobs, pensions, etc.

And when Bush declared that we were 'at war' he also opened up a huge

opportunity for health, life, and really, all insurance companies to

deny coverage of the direct effects of that 'act of war' - as all

health, property, life insurance policies exclude coverage for things

that happen as a result of terrorism, rioting, civil unrest or 'acts

of war'. (read the fine print, its there..)

I think that health insurance companies are not refusing to cover 9-11

victims injuries, but that is out of the 'kindness of their hearts'..

(I think they see the negative publicity it would generate) and this

probably would not have happened if a larger number of people had been

killed or injured.. as in a real war on US soil.. or a larger act of

terrorism..