Studies have shown 9/11 rescue and recovery workers exposed to carcinogens in World Trade Center dust face an increased risk of prostate cancer, but little is known about the time between exposure and cancer onset.

In a study published online on September 10 in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Charles Hall, Ph.D., and colleagues analyzed health data for 54,394 male rescue/recovery workers from three World Trade Center-exposed responder cohorts (the Fire Department of the City of New York, the World Trade Center Health Program General Responder Cohort, and the World Trade Center Health Registry) and found 1,120 cases of prostate cancer. The researchers noted an increased incidence of prostate cancer beginning slightly more than five years following World Trade Center rescue/recovery exposure.

The findings suggest a much shorter prostate-cancer latency period following environmental exposure than had previously been assumed. They also support the four-year minimum latency period adopted by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for the World Trade Center Health program, as well as the need for continued follow-up of the World Trade Center rescue/recovery cohort to look for other health problems. Dr. Hall is professor of epidemiology & population health and in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology at Einstein.