The impact
: The first report of the World Trade Center Health Registry to include data on health problems is out. After the attack, 47 percent of the respondents had sinus problems; 42 shortness of breath; 38 wheezing; 37 cough; 33 eye irritation; 26 digestive; 21 severe headaches; 14 skin rashes; 9 hearing loss. They found that 8 percent reported psychological disorders (which tells me we’re a pretty well-adjusted people) vs. 5 percent in a study of New York as a whole. They will do a followup study to find how many problems persisted. My own heart problem now appears to be permanent; I have no persisting lung problems, though I will watch this with obvious interest to see what longterm lung problems emerge, for I fear they will.
