Physical Characteristics and Health Effects of Aerosols from Collapsed Buildings

Abstract

Airborne pollutants can rise to extreme levels when large buildings fall down. The terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center (WTC) towers caused the release of an enormous quantity of pulverized building materials and combustion products into the local environment. Particulate matter (PM) from crushed WTC building materials is primarily non-respirable (>96% larger than 10 microm mass median aerodynamic diameter [MMAD]) and composed of fibrous and nonfibrous components such as gypsum, calcite, silica, glass fibers, cellulose, and asbestos. Respirable fine WTC PM (PM(2.5)) may include finely crushed building materials as well as combustion products such as dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Rescue workers at the WTC site had exposure-related increases in the incidences of nasal congestion, bronchial hyperreactivity to aerosolized methacholine, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and persistent cough. Toxicological studies in mice indicate that WTC PM(2.5) causes airflow obstruction above a critical dose. The review of physical characteristics and health effects of major pollutants derived from the collapse of the WTC towers has assisted in risk assessment efforts related to the collapse of large buildings.