%0 Journal Article
%T Long term health complaints following the Amsterdam Air Disaster in police officers and fire-fighters
%J Occupational and environmental medicine
%D 2006
%A Huizink, Anja C.
%A Slottje, Pauline
%A Witteveen, Anke B.
%A Bijlsma, J. A.
%A Twisk, Jos W. R.
%A Smidt, Nynke
%A Bramsen, Inge
%A Van Mechelen, Willem
%A van der Ploeg, Henk M.
%A Bouter, Lex M.
%A Smid, Tjabe
%V 63
%N 10
%P 657-662
%X BACKGROUND: On 4 October 1992, a cargo aircraft crashed into apartment buildings in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Fire-fighters and police officers assisted with the rescue work. OBJECTIVES: To examine the long term health complaints in rescue workers exposed to a disaster. METHODS: A historical cohort study was performed among police officers (n = 834) and fire-fighters (n = 334) who performed at least one disaster related task and reference groups of their non-exposed colleagues (n = 634 and n = 194, respectively). The main outcome measures included digestive, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, nervous system, airway, skin, post-traumatic stress, fatigue, and general mental health complaints; haematological and biochemical laboratory values; and urinalysis outcomes. RESULTS: Police officers and fire-fighters who were professionally exposed to a disaster reported more physical and mental health complaints, compared to the reference groups. No clinically relevant statistically significant differences in laboratory outcomes were found. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to examine long term health complaints in a large sample of rescue workers exposed to a disaster in comparison to reference groups of non-exposed colleagues. Findings show that even in the long term, and in the absence of laboratory abnormalities, rescue workers report more health complaints.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I BMJ Publishing Group
%@ 1351-0711
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oem.2005.024687