One-fourth of New York City's 10,800 firefighters and emergency medical staffers and many residents near Ground Zero have fallen ill, and the long-term effects are unknown, according to a report by Consumer Health Interactive.
Common symptoms include shortness of breath, frequent nosebleeds and skin rashes, wheezing, sinusitis, chest tightness, burning in the nose, throat or lungs, as well as digestive problems, according to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Many people who already had asthma also suffered an upsurge in symptoms.