This study will determine if World Trade Center (WTC)-related trace elements can be identified in tissues of individuals at their times of death in 2007-2012. If signature trace elements can be identified, this project will lay the foundation for future development of biomarkers indicative of cumulative exposure to WTC contaminants among living individuals. Biomarkers reflective of WTC exposures would be of value to research on the health effects of WTC exposures among first responders, residents and workers, including members of the WTC Health Program. They would also be helpful for the investigation and attribution of diseases among WTC-exposed individuals and may aid in the treatment of WTC-associated diseases.
This project aims to test the hypothesis that World Trade Center (WTC)-related trace elements remained in human tissues years after 9/11/2001 and may be useful in the development of biomarkers of WTC exposure. To test this hypothesis, we are collecting tissues from ~88 WTC Health Registry (WTCHR)-enrollees who died in 2007-2012 in ways that required autopsy and from ~ 62 matched "community control autopsies." Concentrations of 34 elements are being measured by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Preliminary data indicate significantly higher trace or major element concentrations in peripheral lung among 7 individuals with high self-reported WTC exposure compared to 17 with lower self-reported exposures for Pb (median=0.31 vs. 0.14, p=0.03) and Al (34.0 high vs. 11.8 low, p=0.04. In central lung samples, we observed no significant differences. Other preliminary findings are:
These data support our project's hypothesis. Our ongoing study will further investigate the study hypothesis in larger numbers of subjects and the sample of community controls.
This project seeks to identify biomarkers of exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. In pursuit of this goal, we are measuring trace and major elements in tissues obtained from individuals enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) who died and were autopsied in 2007-2012. Our findings, through mid-June 2014, are that unusual trace and major elements were present in autopsy tissues among individuals who died in 2008-2009 and that concentrations of these elements appear to be correlated with interview-based estimates of WTC exposure. In our continuing studies, we will analyze additional samples from individuals who died in 2007-2012. We will explore whether trace and major element concentrations in tissues, coupled with interview data, can provide more accurate estimates of WTC exposures than interview data alone. In the long-run, we hope to translate biomarkers identified from the present study into non-invasive biomarkers that can be used in studies of WTC survivors. Such biomarkers could be of value to etiologic research investigating health conditions observed among first responders, residents and workers, including members of the WTCHR; and also may aid in the treatment of WTC-associated diseases.
Lin I. 2017. Associations of major and trace elements in lung tissues with world trade center exposures and subsequent respiratory symptoms. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering 77(7-B(E)):No Pagination Specified.
