A new study was released today, revealing that a small number of law enforcement officers who helped in the World Trade Center rescue and cleanup operation have since been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the immune system.

In the study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine examined 28,252 emergency respondents who had previously worked in the dusty ruins of ground zero. Within this large number of people, eight cases of multiple myeloma were found.

One individual was caught in a dust cloud on 9/11 and then worked long hours there for months. Another worked at the Staten Island landfill, where the rubble was transferred, for 111 days. The two others had less exposure, only working about 12 to 14 days each in the pit and debris.

In addition to being small, the numbers aren’t necessarily a surprise given that multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological cancer in the U.S. after non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Researchers would normally expect to find just about seven cases in a group that size.

So if these results seem typical, what makes researchers think there’s a link to the debris from 9/11?

A couple details surrounding the cancer patients suggest a connection to having worked in the rubble. For example, four of the eight individuals were under the age of 45; an oddity for this particular cancer, because the disease is diagnosed most regularly in patients an average of 71 years old.

Even though these results are slightly intriguing, no study to date, including the one published today, has proven a link between dust from 9/11’s wreckage and cancer, stated Lorna Thorpe, a deputy commissioner and epidemiologist at New York City’s health department.

Additionally, the majority of published research done on multiple myeloma indicates that it typically takes 10 to 20 years for it to develop in someone who has had environmental exposure to a carcinogen. In these cases, the cancers were diagnosed in as little as three to four years after the attacks, suggesting that something else – potentially the dust exposure from 9/11 – caused the disease.

Source: Fox News

Copyright © 2009 TotalInjury, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

Even working in the healthcare industry doesn’t guarantee honest and reliable health coverage. For Sandie Napientek, who has worked in the healthcare field for almost 30 years, thought she could handle the ins and outs of dealing with the insurance company when her husband needed back surgery for his excruciating pain.

Before Michael Napientek went into surgery last fall, his doctor had preauthorization for the procedure from the insurance company, UMR.

Several months later, the couple started receiving medical bills, and notices that Michael’s back surgery was not paid for by UMR. The total amount owed? Nearly $150,000.

The couple didn’t know what to do. They were questioning the insurance company about the preauthorization of the procedure, which according to UMR, does not guarantee coverage. Well then what’s the point?

After many sleepless nights, attempts to appeal the insurance company’s decision and excessive financial worry, the Napienteks woke up to a letter from UnitedHealthcare – UMR’s parent company. The letter said that the insurance company would cover the medical bill after all – after a review and second opinion on the case from an outside physician.

Though this couple ended up on the lucky side of the personal injury spectrum, health insurance companies can be deceptive when it comes to their coverage.

After the claim had been taken care of, a spokesperson for UnitedHeathcare said, “This is a perfect example of how the process works. The process may not work as fast as people want it to work, but it works.”

Read the full story about the Napienteks’ insurance luck at the Chicago Tribune.

Copyright © 2009 TotalInjury, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

In a recent study at the University of Rochester Medical Center, researchers determined that a compound found in the blue food dye used in M&M’s and Gatorade can help ease the effects of spinal injury.

The compound, called Brilliant Blue G (BBG), is FDA approved, which makes it a viable option for this type of treatment.

The researchers in Rochester used BBG on mice with spinal injuries, and it definitely improved their recovery. The mice were able to walk – even though they still had to limp.

Mice that were not injected with the compound after their spinal injuries did not regain their mobility.

So, what are the possible negatives to this medical advancement? The only recorded side effect: the mice turned temporarily blue.

It could be several years before any of this can be used on humans, but if the research pays off, spinal cord injury patients could see faster and more complete recoveries in the future.

To read the full story about the research, visit CNN Health.

Copyright © 2009 TotalInjury, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

Welcome to HurtKurt’s blog! Many of you may be familiar with me, having seen me in the Twittersphere.

My reach is expanding, and I want to use my blog to share with you information about health and safety – as well as news, current events and other info about personal injury and insurance companies.

If you are suffering from an injury yourself and have pertinent questions to be answered, your best resource might be a local injury lawyer.

I look forward to sharing heath and injury information with you, and I look forward to reading your comments! Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter too @HurtKurt!

Copyright © 2009 TotalInjury, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.