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CNN Live At Daybreak

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports on "World Trade Center Syndrome"

Aired October 29, 2001 - 08:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Live pictures of the World Trade Center site, crews resumed working around the clock to find more than 4600 people who are still missing this morning. When the Twin Towers collapsed, tons of dust containing an assortment of dangerous substances released into the air and that's created some new medical concerns -- as if we needed them.

Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Atlanta to talk more about what some are calling the World Trade Center Syndrome. Dr. Gupta, give us some shred of good news, if you can.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right Miles, we just can't seem to forget the large plumes of smoke that we've seen since September 11th after the collapse. We're just showing some pictures that are still showing some smoke, and the health effects of that smoke -- of the small particles, all those sorts of things that are released in the air -- that's what we're talking about.

A syndrome, Miles, typically is something that has a definite origin and a definite effect -- a definite cause, definite effect. We don't know if we necessarily have that here yet. We don't know what the full effects of all this smoke are going to be, but in "Newsweek", they reported that up to 40 percent of the 11,000 firefighters continue to have significant cough requiring medical attention, requiring inhalants with steroids in them.

Some people have gone on and developed frank respiratory problems requiring ventilators. So all that smoke, all that small particles that are floating through the air are of some health concern. How long term that concern is going to be is something we're going to wait and see. Incidentally, Miles, the EPA has been monitoring the air for small particles and for things that people have been frightened and concerned about such as asbestos and have continued to report since September 11th -- are continuing to report now that the levels are very, very low.

So, that's a piece of good news, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Sanjay, assuming these firefighters do have you know ongoing problems with this smoke inhalation, is it something that is above and beyond what they might encounter in any other fire? Is there something unique to the World Trade Center location, which could cause some greater concern? GUPTA: You know I talked to a few different pulmonologists, lung doctors, that is, about that very issue. And certainly the magnitude of this and the amount of smoke and small particles -- that is particles that are less than 10 microns in size -- everyone is familiar now with microns because of anthrax, but these are very small particles that can actually get into your lungs.

That -- the magnitude of that was much greater obviously with the World Trade Center. So the numbers of people -- the numbers of people that are complaining of respiratory problems even up until now is significantly higher. Regarding the other sorts of particles, again asbestos is the thing that sort of springs to mind, one of the -- one of the lung doctors I talked to sort of put it like this -- I thought it was a good way of explaining it -- was that certainly asbestos is a risk.

There may have been some asbestos in the building that may be out in the air. How dangerous is that? Well it's like if someone were not a smoker and were out to go out and smoke a few packs of cigarettes, certainly that would increase their risk of lung cancer, but if they stopped smoking and they didn't continue to smoke long term, their risk would probably still be small. And that's kind of how it was explained to me.

O'BRIEN: Sanjay, it might be worth reminding our viewers -- because when they hear about asbestos, they probably think back to some stories we told 10 years ago or so about the asbestos threat. And at the time, there was some concern that one little piece of asbestos could cause some great difficulties, perhaps even lung cancer. That's been pretty much debunked hasn't it?

GUPTA: That's right Miles, it has been debunked and I think the best way to think about it is the folks that have had chronic asbestos exposure, that is asbestos exposure over a long period of time, are those that are most at risk. Sometimes it can cause just sort of mild lung disease. It can certainly cause lung cancer. That's been a conclusive link, however, again, we're talking about long-term asbestos exposures, not high concentration short-term asbestos exposures as we may have seen in New York now.

O'BRIEN: Now as we've been looking at these pictures from ground zero ever since September 11th, you see many of the rescue workers who are closest in are wearing respirators. Is that enough to keep them out of trouble?

GUPTA: We're talking about the respirators here that are very different than masks Miles. It's an important distinction. These respirators actually continuously filter all the air including all the small particles out and just allow the non-particle air in, and those are good. The EPA Web site, in fact, continues to recommend those for responders to the scene. They have tested all the way through New York, lower Manhattan, midtown, all the way further north and as you get further north certainly the risk goes way down. But those people in lower Manhattan, around that site are still recommended if they're on the scene to wear these respirators. O'BRIEN: Well, let me ask you this, when you go down to lower Manhattan, you see an awful lot of people wearing those paper masks, and I have to wonder when I see them if they really are doing much good.

GUPTA: It's a good point Miles. The thing that we worry about the most, doctors down there, the lung specialists are worrying about the small particles and these are the particles that can actually get down through your nose into your lungs and what they literally do, Miles, they clog up the bottom of your lungs. The bottom of your lungs is the place where air sort of exchanges with your blood and if you clog that area up, you can't get enough air into your blood.

Those are the small particles we're worried about. They are smaller than those masks will be able to prohibit from getting in, and that's why the respirators are being recommended over masks in that situation.

O'BRIEN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for letting us all sort of share in a bit of a house call there. We appreciate your advice as always -- Paula.

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