Study: 7 Of 10 WTC Rescuers Suffer Lung Problems

(CBS) NEW YORK Nearly seven out of every 10 World Trade Center rescuers suffered lung problems during or after their work at Ground Zero, and high rates of lung "abnormalities" continued years after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to a new health study.

Days before the fifth anniversary of the destruction of the 110-story towers, Mount Sinai Medical Center on Tuesday issued the results of the largest study on 9/11-related health effects.

The study focused mostly on the so-called "World Trade Center cough," a phenomenon that was little understood immediately after the attacks, but has become the chief concern of health experts and advocates in the years since.

Findings highlighted by the study include:

-- Almost 70 percent of World Trade Center responders had new or worsened lung symptoms during or after the attacks.

-- Among responders who had no health symptoms before the attacks, 61 percent developed lung symptoms while working on the toxic pile.

-- One-third of those tested had abnormal lung function tests.