Sept. 11 dust exposure linked to headaches: study

Many workers and residents exposed to dust and fumes after the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings on Sept. 11, 2001, reported frequent headaches seven years after the attack, according to research from the New York University School of Medicine.

Researchers studied 765 people who had not experienced persistent headaches before the attacks and found 43 percent reported headaches in the four weeks before they sought care at the Bellevue Hospital World Trade Center Environmental Health Center in 2008, according to a press release from the St. Paul, MN-based American Association of Neurology.

Participants who were caught in the initial WTC dust cloud were slightly more likely to report headaches, which researchers said may indicate a link between greater exposure and greater risk for persistent headaches. Wheezing, breathlessness with exercise, nasal drip, sinus congestion and acid reflux also were more common among people with headaches, the release said.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is scheduled to be presented in April at AAN's annual meeting in Toronto.