# Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in WTC Workers - Diagnoses and Transitions

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $131,713

## Abstract

Project Summary
The goal of this proposal is to characterize the transitions into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
among former workers and volunteers at the WTC disaster site. The investigators will apply diagnostic criteria
for COPD, classify its severity, investigate the diagnostic stability, progression, and transitions, characterize
structural abnormalities as assessed by chest CT imaging, and examine the interaction of WTC-related
exposure levels with tobacco smoking on increasing the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This
project will be conductted in the occupational cohort followed at Mount Sinai, and in a parallel study at the
occupational cohort followed by the New York City Department of Health WTC Health Registry. To that end,
we will utilize the WTC Pulmonary Evaluation Unit Chest CT Imaging Archive, a large repository with more
than 3000 chest CT images on 1700 WTC workers, as well as linked datasets with disease symptoms, both
pre-WTC and WTC-related occupational exposures, detailed pulmonary function and longitudinal spirometry
measurements and weight trends, visual imaging classification and grading, and quantitative computer
assisted method (QCAM) measurements of airway, and pulmonary parenchymal abnormalities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9934062
- **Project number:** 5U01OH011697-03
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Rafael E. de la Hoz
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $131,713
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9934062

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9934062, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in WTC Workers - Diagnoses and Transitions (5U01OH011697-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9934062. Licensed CC0.

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