Study links 9/11 dust exposure to kidney damage

New York – Exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero on 9/11 may have caused kidney damage among first responders, according to a new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Using urine samples, researchers examined the kidney health of 183 responders to the World Trade Center attacks. They found higher levels of albumin – a protein that indicates impaired kidney function – in first responders with the most exposure to the 9/11 dust cloud, which contained smoke, glass fibers and metals.

The study was presented at the 2013 American Society of Nephrology annual meeting on Nov. 9 in Atlanta.