World Trade Center response activities and cognitive health: A moderated mediation study of the role of surgical/nuisance dust mask usage

IF 3.4 3区医学 Q2 NEUROSCIENCES

Neurotoxicology Pub Date : 2025-02-15 DOI:10.1016/j.neuro.2025.02.002

Yuan Yang , Jaymie Meliker , Lauren L. Richmond , Frank D. Mann , Minos Kritikos , Dylan M. Smith , Tesleem Babalola , Melissa A. Carr , Benjamin J. Luft , Sean A.P. Clouston

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

This study explores the relationship between World Trade Center (WTC) response activities (WRAs) and cognitive impairment (CI) and uses a moderated-mediation model to examine the role of wearing a surgical/nuisance dust mask.

Methods

This study includes 3285 WTC responders. Responders were placed into eight WRA groups based on self-report structured responses and free-text descriptions of activities at the WTC. The presence/absence of surgical/nuisance dust mask usage was self-reported. The outcome was CI as determined using a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score < 23. Robust Poisson regression was used to examine the main effect, and counterfactual moderated-mediation analysis was used to determine the role of mask usage.

Results

The risk of CI was higher across most WRAs when compared to supervision. Mask usage was reported by 63 % of responders and varied across WRAs and was associated with a reduced risk of CI (adjusted risk ratio [aRR]=0.77, p = 0.008) after controlling for WRAs. Moderation effects indicated that responders are more likely to wear masks when encountering more dangerous exposures, even within the same WRA group. Responders in the WRA-enclosed group had a lower risk of CI through a moderated intermediary effect of mask usage (aRR=0.92, p = 0.05).

Conclusion

Surgical/nuisance dust mask usage provided mild protection against air pollution exposures during WTC response activities when compared to not wearing a mask. Results suggest that response workers at disaster sites might benefit from wearing surgical/nuisance dust masks when respirators are unavailable even when the air seems safe.

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来源期刊

Neurotoxicology 医学-毒理学

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

5.90%

发文量

161

审稿时长

70 days

期刊介绍： NeuroToxicology specializes in publishing the best peer-reviewed original research papers dealing with the effects of toxic substances on the nervous system of humans and experimental animals of all ages. The Journal emphasizes papers dealing with the neurotoxic effects of environmentally significant chemical hazards, manufactured drugs and naturally occurring compounds.