DEP memo on WTC Health Registry, Sep 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

NYC Atsdr Health rca TOXIC Al li

The World Trade Center Registry

The World Trade Center disaster was an unprecedented event. Beyond the loss of life and physical destruction experienced on 9/11, the disaster’s full impact may not be known for years to come. That’s because it is unclear what kind of effect, if any, the smoke, dust, and debris from the WTC collapse may have on public health over the long term. It is not fully known how this exposure may affect the physical or mental health of those who experienced it most directly - workers in the rescue and recovery efforts, office workers, residents, schoolchildren, teachers, and people who happened to be in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001.

To help answer these questions, the World Trade Center Registry has been established.

What Is The World Trade Center Registry? The WTC Registry is essentially a giant database, holding self-reported health information about specific groups of people who were most directly affected by the WTC disaster. Its goal is to help researchers understand whether these groups may develop particular physical health or mental health problems over time that may be a result of the disaster. The WTC Registry is a joint initiative of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal public health agency.

Am I Eligible To Enroll in the WTC Registry? You are eligible to enroll in the WTC Registry if you are in one of the following groups:

• You were working in a building south of Chambers Street on 9/11/01. • You were in a building, on the street, or in a subway south of Chambers Street on 9/11/01. • You lived south of Canal Street on 9/11/01. . • You were a staff member, teacher, or student in a school (grades pre-K- 12) south of Canal Street on 9/11/01 • You were a rescue, recovery, or construction worker - either at the WTC site, at the Staten Island landfill, or on the barges that carried debris between these sites - on 9/11/01 or in the months after.

Why Is The WTC Registry Important? The WTC Registry will enable researchers to identify possible patterns of illness in groups of people over time. Because the Registry will have information on a large number of people, in different groups, it will be possible to understand whether certain health effects are related to the disaster or not.

Why Should I Join The WTC Registry? Without people like you, the WTC Registry won’t work. We need to onioll as many as 100,000 to 200,000 people, so that we can find out if there are any health problems related to the September 11“’ disaster

How Do I Enroll in the WTC Registry? There are two ways to enroll. Beginning in the sec mer of 2003, you will be able to call our toll-free information line, or visit our Website at .-/ww.nvc.gov/health/wtcreqistrv.

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