Study Indicates September 11 Exposure May Have Aged Survivors
A new study that examines the impacts of exposure to toxins associated with September 11, 2001 finds that people affected by the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) “appear to be experiencing accelerated epigenetic aging compared to unexposed individuals.”
“Epigenetic aging” is loosely synonymous with “biological age,” which denotes a person’s overall state of health at the cellular and molecular level, and is strongly predictive of life span and general wellness. Both contrast with chronological age, or the number of years since birth.
The paper, “Epigenetic aging acceleration among World Trade Center-exposed community members” was authored by a team of ten research scientists – five MDs and five PhDs – and recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. They write, “we hypothesize that WTC exposure may be associated with premature aging given: (1) aging-related vulnerability and mortality is increased among WTC-exposed persons; (2) trauma and [post-traumatic stress disorder], which are associated with premature aging, are also common among WTC-exposed individuals; and (3) many of the toxicants found in the WTC dust are known to be associated with epigenetic dysregulation.”
“Epigenetic dysregulation” refers to the process by which molecular “switches” (which activate or shut off specific genes) begin to malfunction. This gradual, systemic breakdown is associated with a host of serious diseases, particularly cancer.
“Biological aging acceleration has… previously been documented among WTC responders and similar groups,” the study notes. “However, this is the first study to attempt to quantify the degree to which WTC-exposed vs. unexposed groups differ in their aging processes.”
The quantify this gap, the authors used four “epigenetic clocks,” biochemical tests that measure epigenetic dysregulation to estimate biological (rather than chronological) age. All four of these tests found that subjects exposed to WTC toxins were biologically “older” than subjects of the same chronological age who were not exposed. One of these, the Hannum epigenetic clock (which monitors 71 DNA markers), found that the first group had an epigenetic age of 68.9, compared to 63.0 for people born in the same year who were not exposed.
“Persons exposed to the… disaster, including rescue and recovery workers (responders) and community members (survivors) may be experiencing aging acceleration given that WTC exposure is associated with greater age-related vulnerability,” the study notes.
In particular, “women with WTC exposure, on average, appear to be aging more rapidly compared to unexposed persons according to several epigenetic clocks,” the authors find, adding, “responders and survivors also suffer an excess burden of other aging-related syndromes and morbidities such as compromised lung function and increased asthma incidence, decreased sleep quality, mental health, and cognitive functioning impairment, and increased risk of autoimmune diseases, among other adverse health impacts. Increased WTC exposure is additionally associated with increased risk of mortality.”
“WTC-associated cancers may also be, on average, more aggressive than cancers of WTC-unexposed persons,” the authors add.
The report concludes with a call for further study and predicts, “improved understanding of how WTC exposure modifies the biological aging processes could improve both preventive and therapeutic approaches for WTC-exposed persons. Biomarkers of accelerated aging can also be used to screen for age-related vulnerability and syndromes. The results presented here, while preliminary, could have important implications not just for WTC-exposed persons but also for individuals exposed to other complex environmental exposures.”
Congressman Dan Goldman said, “these disturbing findings prove what the more than 140,000 current enrollees in the World Trade Center Health Program already know – despite promises to the contrary, the air around Ground Zero was unsafe to breathe. These brave survivors and first responders risked their lives to rebuild our City, and we must honor their sacrifice by passing my 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act, which guarantees funding for this lifesaving program and ensures they receive the health care they deserve.”
This was a reference to bi-partisan package of legislation that was abruptly pulled from the federal budget in the closing days of 2024, during the last government shutdown. This measure would have locked in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program, ensuring that it would have all the money necessary for the next ten years, after which its allocation mechanism would have been revised to prevent future shortfalls through the planned sunset of benefits, in 2090.
Benjamin Chevat, executive director of the non-profit organization 911 Health Watch, highlighted the implications of this study on survivors who were children in September 2001. “This report is just another indication as to why the establishment of the Youth Research Cohort is crucial to a better understanding of the impact of the toxins from September 11 on the community. There is a lot we need to know about its impact and the health of the area residents and workers,” he said.
Kimberly Flynn, director of the non-profit organization 9/11 Environmental Action, said, “the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the City lied about the health risks from World Trade Center dust and smoke to the community, but the blood doesn’t lie.”
She continued, “it is not surprising that exposures to toxins and trauma have a biological impact. We knew that. What’s important in this cutting edge study is that researchers can see a biological marker in the DNA of survivors that provides key information about age-related health vulnerability from World Trade Center exposures, especially for women.”
Ms. Flynn also echoed Mr. Chevat’s focus on those who were exposed at a young age: “The youngest people in the current study were 44 years old. We need this kind of epigenetic information for people who were children or in utero on September 11, about whom, shamefully, so little physical health research has been done in the last two decades. The Youth Research Cohort, which aims to fill that gap and track the health of people exposed to the disaster at 21 years old or younger, is a critical long term project.”
Mariama James, a Lower Manhattan resident and advocate for services to people affected by the disaster, said “this research on epigenetic aging is crucial because it validates what so many of us have been saying for years: the exposure was a permanent injury. It wasn’t just short-term damage; it fundamentally altered our biology. We need this proof to ensure the care we receive addresses not just the lung disease or the stress, but this accelerated wear and tear on our entire bodies.”
Very interesting for Tribeca residents.