NEW YORK (AP)  -- New data from a public health registry that tracks the health effects of Sept. 11 suggest that up to 70,000 people have developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the terrorist attacks.


Al Jones reports

That's out of an estimated 400,000 people who were heavily exposed to the disaster, according to a study released Wednesday by the city's Department of Health.

The estimate is based on an analysis of the health of a group of people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry who agreed to be tracked for up to 20 years after Sept. 11, 2001.

Health officials say the new report is the most comprehensive picture yet of the health of the 71,437 registrants who voluntarily answered questions about their health two and three years after the attack.

They include rescue and recovery workers, lower Manhattan residents, area workers, commuters and passers-by.

Overall, half of them reported being in the dust cloud from the collapsing twin towers; 70 percent witnessed a traumatic sight, such as a plane hitting the tower or falling bodies; and 13 percent sustained an injury that day.

According to city health officials, data suggest that 35,000 to 70,000 people developed post-traumatic stress disorder and 3,800 to 12,600 may have developed asthma.

``The consensus among physicians is that when it comes to physical health, the vast majority of people felt symptoms in the first year,'' said Lorna Thorpe, the deputy commissioner for epidemiology at the health department. ``A small proportion of people, however, developed symptoms years later. And in some cases, it's hard to tell whether they're World Trade Center-related or a result of allergies or existing conditions.''

The post-traumatic stress disorder rate was highest among injured, low-income and Hispanic study volunteers. In general, minorities and low-income respondents experienced higher rates of mental and physical problems, as did women.

The study was conducted by the health department and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. It was released in the Journal of Urban Health.

The city offers free physical and mental health care to eligible people affected by the attacks.

On the Net:

World Trade Center Health Registry: http://www.nyc.gov/9-11healthinfo