One-fifth of people exposed to the dust cloud after the 9/11 attacks developed new symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to an American Journal of Gastroenterology report.
Surveying health records of more than 37,000 adults who were near the site, the study found that 20 percent had heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux and other GERD symptoms, and these symptoms persisted for at least five to six years for 13 percent of them.
The study is in line with findings of another recent study on health outcomes of rescue and recovery workers at the Ground Zero site in New York.
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