9/11 health registry to collect fresh data

The World Trade Center Health Registry will collect fresh data on physical and mental health and access to health care in its third survey of more than 70,000 people exposed to the World Trade Center attack and its aftermath.

The survey, announced Wednesday by the city's department of Health and Mental Hygiene, should give researchers insight into the long-term health effects of exposure 10 years ago to dust and debris near or at Ground Zero, said city health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley.

"Only now has sufficient time passed to begin investigating potential late-emerging and long-term health effects associated with WTC exposure," Farley said.

The study includes area residents, office workers, first responders, students and passersby who voluntarily enrolled in 2003-04.

The survey -- the largest post-disaster registry in the country -- will continue through early March 2012. Published papers will probably appear beginning the next year, the health department said.

New mental health questions will ask about depression, anxiety and history of traumatic stress before and after 9/11.

The previous survey found 19 percent of respondents reported new, probable post-traumatic stress disorder five to six years after 9/11, an increase from 14 percent two to three years after 9/11.

Questions added about access to health care will help assess gaps in services available through the health program established by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which Congress passed last year, the department said.

Enrollees will be asked new questions on physical activity, asthma control, medications, hospitalizations, cognition and memory loss. The survey also will inquire about many diseases, including thyroid disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease and pulmonary fibrosis.

Enrollees can contact the registry at wtchr@health.nyc.gov or by phone through 311 or direct at 866-692-9827.