9/11, KATRINA CAUGH, TOXIC DUST, RADS

[Guest guest]

REACTIVE AIRWAY DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME

RADS/IIA and the World Trade Center Disaster. Perhaps the most noteworthy

outbreak of RADS/IIA yet described was reported in 2002 among firefighters

exposed to irritants before and after the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. The

" World Trade Center Cough " has been defined as a persistent cough that developed

after exposure to the site (Prezant, et al., 2002). This cough is often

accompanied by airway obstruction, nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness,

and clinical signs and symptoms of asthma. By the time the authors of the WTC

article presented their data, they had examined nearly 100 firefighters who

exhibited symptoms thought to be consistent with RADS/IIA.

Conclusions

Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS) and Irritant Induced Asthma (IIA)

are similar clinical pathological entities caused by exposure to a toxic,

irritating agent and characterized by a negative history of asthma symptoms for

at least two years prior to exposure, persistence of asthma symptoms for at

least three months, objective evidence of nonspecific bronchial

hyperresponsiveness, and arguably, abnormal airway histopathology.

http://toxicology.leadingexperts.com/rads.html