ATSDR - World Trade Center Health Registry Issues Initial Enrollment Report

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ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

World Trade Center Health Registry Issues Initial Enrollment Report

Report Provides Demographic Information on 6,313 People Who Enrolled During First
Three-and-a-Half Weeks of Data Collection

For Immediate Release: Oct. 23, 2003

ATLANTA - The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Atlanta-based federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) issued a report yesterday containing a demographic breakdown of people who enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry through Sept. 30, 2003. The report contains demographic information by residence, age, gender, and exposure group for the 6,313 who enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry - i.e., people who completed the 30-minute telephone health survey - through Sept. 30, 2003. To date, nearly 15,000 people have signed up to be interviewed in the World Trade Center Health Registry, and nearly 10,000 people have enrolled in the health registry by completing the telephone survey. The report, entitled Data Snapshot: Understanding the Health Impact of 9/11 is available online at www.wtcregistry.org. This link leaves the ATSDR Web site.

"This report provides a snapshot of enrollment for the month of Sept., and is the first in a series of quarterly updates from the World Trade Center Health Registry," said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas R. Frieden. "Thus far, we have seen a broad geographic representation of enrollees across the five boroughs, the greater metropolitan area, and beyond. Much work, however, remains to be done. The more people that enroll, the more accurate and comprehensive the registry's findings will be. If you were near the WTC site on 11, 2001 or in the weeks and months that followed, it is important that you step forward and enroll. Call us at 311, 1-866-NYC-WTCR (1-866-692-9827) or visit us online at www.wtcregistry.org." This link leaves the ATSDR Web site.

Graphic showing residence of NYC enrollees by borough

Dr. Henry Falk, Director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), said, "The snapshot report shows that most people who have enrolled to date reside in Manhattan, which is in line with our expectations for the registry. It is also important for us to continue to enroll people who commuted from other boroughs or volunteered from other areas of the country. If you were there on Sept. 11, 2001, or in the months that followed, call us. It's important that you sign up."

Those who enroll in the WTC Health Registry are asked to complete a 30-minute telephone survey including questions on where they were on Sept. 11, 2001, how long they were in areas with smoke and fumes, and whether they have had any health problems since. Registrants will be periodically contacted to answer questions about any health changes. This information will then be compared with that of the general population to identify any health problems possibly linked to 9/11. Ultimately, findings drawn from the health registry will enable researchers to observe patterns that may be invisible to individual physicians. All information given will be kept strictly private and confidential. No medical examinations or tests are required.

Highlights from Data Snapshot: Understanding the Health Impact of 9/11

Data Snapshot: Understanding the Long-Term Health Impact of 9/11 is a summary of demographic information about the 6,313 people who enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry between Sept. 5 - Sept. 30, 2003. Future reports will contain data for three-month periods. Once data collection is completed, quarterly reports will include statistics on health and mental health data, as these data are collected.

Residence

Sixty-five percent (4,081) people who enrolled in the registry in Sept. 2003, are New York City residents.
Of the 4,081 New York City residents that enrolled, more than 2,600 (64%) are from Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Eighty-three percent of enrollees are New York State residents and 11% of enrollees are New Jersey residents. The next most frequent other states represented are Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida.

Exposure Group [As people can report belonging to more than one exposure group, totals do not add up to 100%]

Seventy percent of people enrolled identified themselves as passersby south of Chambers Street on Sept.11, 2001. Twenty-nine percent identified themselves as workers at the WTC site and/or recovery operations on Staten Island, and 12% are residents.

Age and Gender

The average of adult enrollees across exposure group is 45 - 47 years of age.
Fifty-three percent of enrollees are male, while 47% of enrollees are female.

Who Should Enroll

Thousands of people from each of the five boroughs, the greater metropolitan area, and throughout the country are eligible for the WTC Health Registry, regardless of whether they have any health problems. Those in any one or more of the following categories should enroll:

People who were in a building, on the street, or on the subway south of Chambers Street on 9/11/01;
Workers and volunteers involved in rescue, recovery, clean up or other activities at the WTC site [The WTC site is bounded by Chambers, Broadway, Rector and the Hudson River] and/or WTC Recovery Operations on Staten Island any time between 9/11/01 and 6/30/02;
Students and staff at schools (pre-K to 12) or daycare centers south of Canal Street on 9/11/01; or
People who were living south of Canal Street on 9/11/01

These groups do not include all those who were exposed to the fumes, smoke, and dust. However they do insure a wide range of all possible types of exposure. The data from the Registry will provide vital information to every one exposed on the occurrence of health effects, and the rate of and exposures related to any health effects that are found.

The WTC Health Registry is a jointly funded effort of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). RTI International, a non-profit research firm, is conducting interviews.

To find out more about the WTC Health Registry and the enrollment process, call toll-free 1-866-NYC-WTCR (1-866-692-9827) to enroll. Or visit www.wtcregistry.org. This link leaves the ATSDR Web site.

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Members of the media can request an interview with ATSDR or DOHMH staff by calling Kathy Skipper / Jill Smith (ATSDR) at (404) 498-0070, or Sandra Mullin / Greg Butler (New York City DOHMH) at (212) 788-5290

Back to ATSDR Home page

Updated by R. Searfoss October 24, 2003
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
1-888-422-8737 or e-mail: atsdric@cdc.gov (public inquiries)
404-498-0080 or e-mail: atsdrmediainquires@cdc.gov (news media)