9/11 reflux

A series of studies has found that workers who were near Ground Zero shortly after the 9/11 attacks in New York City suffer respiratory problems at rates much higher than the general public. Up to 20 percent of those workers also experience symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also called acid reflux.

Since October 2001, the New York City Fire Department and a consortium of academic medical centers have screened nearly 40,000 first responders, construction workers, and others who spent time at or near the World Trade Center site after the attacks.