Prevalence of Pulmonary Nodules Detected by Computed Tomography in World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Workers

What is it about?

Prevalence of lung nodules does not appear increased in rescue and recovery workers and volunteers in relation to their exposure to toxicants at the WTC disaster site in 2001-2002. On the other hand, besides age and tobacco smoking, the presence of pleural thickening in chest CT scans, suggestive of pre-WTC exposure to asbestos, was associated with increased prevalence of suspicious lung nodules. Our findings suggest that pleural thickening (often not assessed or reported by chest radiologists) needs to be considered as a potential risk factor in lung cancer screening programs, particularly in occupationally exposed populations.

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