9/11 Anniversary Sparks Ongoing Concerns from Environmental Chemical Exposures, Leading to Health Problems

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It has now been 23 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and nearly two years since the devastating train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Both cataclysmic events represent stark reminders that toxic environmental exposures can lead to unexpected and lingering health concerns.

Such events, along with milestones like the Gulf War (with its oil well fires), the Iraq War (with its toxic burn pits), and even the enormous recent wildfires in California, Hawaii, and elsewhere, generate massive amounts of combustion byproducts containing highly toxic chemicals derived from fossil fuels.

9-11 anniversary tilt chemical world trade centers nycBeyond the immediate danger of exposures to those chemicals, major exposure events can sensitize our immune systems’ “first responders”—specialized white blood cells called “mast cells.” Mast cells are born in our bone marrow and migrate to the interface between all of our tissues and the external environment—our airways, skin, and gastrointestinal tract.

Mast cell sensitization initiates a condition known as Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance, or TILT.

TILT is a two-stage disease process characterized by an initial exposure event, whether acute as in the above examples, or chronic, as with repeated low-level exposures to chemicals, such as in a sick building or a newly constructed home or workplace. Once the exposure has altered and sensitized the individual’s mast cells, the second stage called triggering begins. After that, exposure to even tiny amounts of a variety of structurally unrelated substances triggers multisystem symptoms. These triggers include formerly tolerated fragrances, traffic exhaust, caffeine, alcoholic beverages, foods, and medications. In some people, TILT can be a lifelong, debilitating condition, made worse by the fact that most doctors do not recognize the condition.

Individuals suffering from TILT frequently report a host of medically unexplained symptoms, including brain fog, chronic fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, headaches, respiratory problems, mood disorders, cognitive difficulties, and many more conditions that professionals too often dismiss as psychological in origin.

Dr. Claudia Miller, leader of the TILT Program on Chemical Intolerance and professor emeritus of Allergy/Immunology and Environmental Health at UT Health San Antonio, has been researching TILT since the mid-1990s, when she pioneered this emerging new field.

“It is striking how many people who have been involved in major exposure events like 9/11, the East Palestine train derailment, and the huge wildfires, have reported chronic symptoms related to TILT,” she said.

Miller has recently been serving as a scientific consultant to the official committees looking at the 9/11 and East Palestine disasters.

In the wake of those events, she predicted that many exposed individuals would develop TILT illnesses, and research is showing that those predictions were accurate.

“We see TILT developing all over the world, whether following major exposure events like wars, wildfires, or massive oil spills, or simply as a result of exposures stemming from modern life such as pesticide applications, household fragrances, automobile exhaust, and other everyday occurrences,” Miller added.

Because it elegantly explains many previously mysterious health phenomena, TILT as a theory of disease is poised to take its place along with the germ theory and immune theory.

“Going forward, our hope is that when the next 9/11 or East Palestine-type exposure event takes place, as is inevitable, our physicians and public health practitioners will be prepared to quickly screen area residents and offer recommendations for prevention and treatment of TILT-related conditions,” said Miller.

How can you find out if you are TILT’ed or have chemical intolerance?

Answer these three questions from the TILT Program on Chemical Intolerance:

  1. Do you feel sick when you are exposed to tobacco smoke, certain fragrances, nail polish/remover, engine exhaust, gasoline, air fresheners, pesticides, paint/thinner, fresh tar/asphalt, cleaning supplies, new carpet or furnishings? By sick, we mean: headache, difficulty thinking, difficulty breathing, weakness, dizziness, upset stomach, etc.
  2. Are you unable to tolerate or do you have adverse or allergic reactions to any drugs or medications (such as antibiotics, anesthetics, pain relievers, X-ray contrast dye, vaccines or birth control pills), or to an implant, prosthesis, contraceptive chemical or device, or other medical/surgical/dental material or procedure?
  3. Are you unable to tolerate or do you have adverse reactions to any foods such as dairy products, wheat, corn, eggs, caffeine, alcoholic beverages, or food additives (e.g., MSG, food dye)?

If you answer YES to any question, take the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (QEESI) and share the results with your doctor!

References:

  1. The connection between TILT and mast cells (2021):

Miller, C.S., Palmer, R.F., Dempsey, T.T. Ashford, N. Mast cell activation may explain many cases of chemical intolerance. Environ Sci Eur 33, 129 (2021).

  1. What initiates TILT? (2023):

Miller CS, Palmer RF, Kattari D, Masri S, Ashford NA, Rincon R, Perales RB, Grimes C, Sundblad DR. What initiates chemical intolerance? Findings from a large population-based survey of U.S. adults. Environ Sci Eur 35:65 (2023)

    1. TILT, autism, and ADHD (2024):

Assessing Chemical Intolerance in Parents Predicts the Risk of Autism and ADHD in Their Children, Journal of Xenobiotics (2024)

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