9/11 Responders Suffered Kidney Damage Due to Air PollutantsThe higher the exposure to particulate matter, the greater the kidney damage The team previously demonstrated abnormalities in heart and lung in first responders to 9/11. In this latest study, the investigators evaluated 183 consecutively enrolled first responders from the WTCCHEST Program, a subset of the World Trade Center Clinical Center of Excellence. Participants provided information about particulate matter exposure, and exposure score was calculated based on proximity to Ground Zero, time of arrival, and duration of exposure. Kidney tests demonstrated a linear trend between level of exposure to particulate matter and measures of poor kidney function. Participants with the highest exposure to particulate matter had significantly worse kidney function than those with low exposure. The authors report funding for this abstract was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 