Persistent self-reported ear and hearing problems among World Trade Center-exposed firefighters and emergency medical service workers, 2001-2017—A longitudinal cohort analysis

Hilary L. Colbeth, Rachel Zeig-Owens, Yang Liu, Mayris P. Webber, Theresa M. Schwartz, Charles B. Hall, David J. Prezant

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: The goal of this study was to estimate the impact of exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) site on annual and persistent rates of otalgia and hearing impairment among Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Firefighters and Emergency Medical Service Workers (EMS). Methods: Responders completed routine physical health questionnaires at monitoring visits. We used logistic and marginal logistic regression models to explore the association between otalgia and hearing impairment and WTC arrival time. Results: The highest-exposed group had greater odds of persistent ear symptoms (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.11-1.59) compared with the least-exposed; the odds of persistent hearing problems between the groups were not significantly different. We found consistent WTC-exposure gradients when the average population odds of these outcomes were assessed each year. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the odds of long-term ear symptoms were significantly associated with the intensity of WTC exposure.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)43-49
Number of pages7
JournalAmerican Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume62
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2019

Keywords

  • hearing
  • prevalence
  • rescue/recovery workers
  • self-report
  • world trade center

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Persistent self-reported ear and hearing problems among World Trade Center-exposed firefighters and emergency medical service workers, 2001-2017—A longitudinal cohort analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this