COPD in Smoking and Non-Smoking Community Members Exposed to the World Trade Center Dust and Fumes

Ridhwan Y. Baba, Yian Zhang, Yongzhao Shao, Kenneth I. Berger, Roberta M. Goldring, Mengling Liu, Angeliki Kazeros, Rebecca Rosen and Joan Reibman
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Ridhwan Y. Baba: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Yian Zhang: Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population Health and Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Yongzhao Shao: Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population Health and Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Kenneth I. Berger: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Roberta M. Goldring: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Mengling Liu: Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population Health and Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Angeliki Kazeros: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Rebecca Rosen: Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Joan Reibman: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: Background: The characteristics of community members exposed to World Trade Center (WTC) dust and fumes with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can provide insight into mechanisms of airflow obstruction in response to an environmental insult, with potential implications for interventions. Methods: We performed a baseline assessment of respiratory symptoms, spirometry, small airway lung function measures using respiratory impulse oscillometry (IOS), and blood biomarkers. COPD was defined by the 2019 GOLD criteria for COPD. Patients in the WTC Environmental Health Center with <5 or ≥5 pack year smoking history were classified as nonsmoker-COPD (ns-COPD) or smoker-COPD (sm-COPD), respectively. Main Results: Between August 2005 and March 2018, 467 of the 3430 evaluated patients (13.6%) fit criteria for COPD. Among patients with COPD, 248 (53.1%) were ns-COPD. Patients with ns-COPD had measures of large airway function (FEV1) and small airway measures (R 5–20 , AX) that were less abnormal than those with sm-COPD. More ns-COPD compared to sm-COPD had a bronchodilator (BD) response measured by spirometry (24 vs. 14%, p = 0.008) or by IOS (36 vs. 21%, p = 0.002). Blood eosinophils did not differ between ns-COPD and sm-COPD, but blood neutrophils were higher in sm-COPD compared to ns-COPD ( p < 0.001). Those with sm-COPD were more likely to be WTC local residents than ns-COPD ( p = 0.007). Conclusions: Spirometry findings and small airway measures, as well as inflammatory markers, differed between patients with ns-COPD and sm-COPD. These findings suggest potential for differing mechanisms of airway injury in patients with WTC environmental exposures and have potential therapeutic implications.

Keywords: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; asthma; World Trade Center; September 11 terrorist attacks; dust; air pollutants; lung/physiology; New York City; spirometry; oscillometry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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