Roberto Lucchini, Florida International University - The Long-Term Brain Health Effects of 9/11

On Florida International University Week: First responders at Ground Zero on 9/11 are aging.

What effects could their exposure be having on their brains? Roberto Lucchini, professor of environmental health sciences, looks into this.

Faculty Bio:

Dr. Roberto G. Lucchini is a professor of environmental health sciences at FIU. A physician specializing in occupational medicine, his research examines how environmental and occupational exposures affect the nervous system across the lifespan, from neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration. At FIU, he leads the World Trade Center research program studying the long-term health effects of toxic exposures and trauma among 9/11 responders who relocated to Florida. His work also addresses global environmental health issues, including mercury contamination and co-exposures such as microplastics and agrochemicals in Amazon Basin communities.

Transcript:

Nearly 25 years after September 11, thousands of World Trade Center responders are still living with the health effects of that day.
For years, much attention has focused on lung disease, cancer, PTSD and depression. But another question is now emerging: what did 9/11 exposure do to the aging brain?
At Ground Zero, responders were exposed to more than trauma. They breathed dust, smoke and fumes from collapsed buildings, burning materials and contaminated debris. These exposures included particulate matter, chemicals and metals that may contribute to inflammation in the body and brain.
At the same time, many responders experienced chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. PTSD can keep the body’s stress response activated long after the danger has passed.
Our research looks at how these combined exposures — toxic substances and psychological trauma — may influence brain aging and cognitive health.
In World Trade Center responder studies, researchers have found signs of cognitive impairment, changes in memory and processing speed, and brain changes that resemble features seen in neurodegenerative disease.
One study found that nearly 18 percent of responders already showed cognitive impairment at their first evaluation. Another 14 percent developed mild cognitive impairment over about two and a half years.
These findings do not mean every responder will develop dementia. But they show why brain health must be part of long-term disaster response.
For responders who served at Ground Zero, monitoring should not stop at the lungs, cancer or mental health. We also need to watch the brain.

Read More:

[The Conversation] - 9/11 survivors’ exposure to toxic dust and the chronic health conditions that followed offer lessons that are still too often unheeded

[FIU News] - Professor reflects on his work helping first responders exposed to 9/11 toxic dust