A new study by the World Trade Center Health Registry claims that the 9/11 terrorist attack led to some 70,000 people developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The public health registry was created right after September 11, 2001 to track the health effects of the disastrous attack. In addition, between 4,000 and 12,600 have developed asthma due to the traumatic event.

Women, minorities, and low-income participants had higher rates of physical and mental problems, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said. Katherine L. Muller, director of psychology training and director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, told journalists that more and more people were reaching natural recovery from the traumatic experiences of 9/11.

Rescue workers and others directly affected may have triple the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than background levels, while those indirectly affected resolved PTSD symptoms pretty quickly and the vast majority already healed.

The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board announced that 31,543 workers and volunteers who said they had performed rescue, recovery or cleanup work at the World Trade Center, have moved to preserve their right to file for workers’ compensation claims arising from those efforts. The deadline is Sept. 11, 2010, set by special legislation which extended significantly the normal two-year span of workers’ compensation claims. Already, 12,234 claims have been filed in relation with the 9/11 event.