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recruits members for WTC asthma study By DEBORAH A. MILES PEF members who worked at the World Trade Center site will soon be receiving a letter from the state Department of Health (DOH) asking them to participate in a three-year health study focusing on asthma and respiratory problems. “It’s critical to have a better sense of what health effects people experienced as a result of their potential exposures at the WTC,” said PEF member and DOH study coordinator Dr. Matthew Mauer. “We are encouraging people from the initial group who were exposed and a new control group comprised of people who work at similar agencies with similar job titles to participate,” he said. Participants for the initial study were recruited in 2002. A recruitment letter, consent form and questionnaire will be mailed to members this spring, urging eligible members to sign-up. The questionnaire will focus on the symptoms of asthma and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. In the first and second year of the study, DOH will follow-up with another questionnaire to verify contact information and to gather any pertinent information on health conditions members may have experienced during the previous year. In the last year, a DOH representative will contact participants for a 30-minute telephone interview for a detailed response. From those responses, a small group will be selected for a medical record review and to verify certain diagnoses and symptoms. “Those participating in this second control group will help us realize what individuals experienced because of their involvement at the WTC,” Mauer said. “It will help us learn more about possible health effects that may be useful to fellow union members and co-workers. The knowledge we gain may further help them.” Participants will receive a $10 gift check upon completion of the questionnaire and consent form. A $25 gift check will be awarded to those in the third year after the telephone interview. The study is a joint effort of PEF, DOH, the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, the Civil Service Employees Association, and the Police Benevolent Association. If you participated in the 2002 study and do not receive information about the three-year follow-up study, contact Mauer or Michele Herdt-Losavio at 1-800-458-1158. |
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