Youth Research Cohort Information

Youth Research Cohort

Youth Research Cohort Information

The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program is laying the foundation to launch a new research initiative focused on people who were 21 years or younger when they experienced 9/11 and potentially harmful exposures in the months that followed.

Past research has helped us understand health effects of 9/11 among adults but less is known about the long-term health and educational effects on people who were children, adolescents, or young adults at the time. The Congressionally mandated Research Cohort for Emerging Health Impacts on Youth (Youth Research Cohort, or YRC) will help fill this gap.

The WTC Health Program has taken the first steps towards creating the YRC by signaling its intent to fund a research coordinating center that will have two main goals: to establish the YRC by enrolling eligible participants, and to carry out and support research in this population.

This initiative will give eligible people an opportunity to participate in research that can help us better understand the long-term effects of 9/11 exposures and potentially improve diagnosis and treatment of 9/11-related health conditions.

The WTC Health Program published a NIOSH Science Bulletin that summarizes how we aim to expand our knowledge of the health and educational effects of those exposed to the WTC disaster at a young age by creating a research coordinating center.

Who will be eligible to join the Youth Research Cohort?

Once enrollment opens, individuals eligible to join the YRC are those who experienced 9/11 exposures between September 11, 2001, and July 31, 2002 (applicable exposure period), either after birth (postnatal exposure) or in utero (prenatal exposure) as described below.

Individuals with postnatal exposure are those who:

• Were 21 years of age or younger on September 11, 2001 (born between September 12, 1979, and July 31, 2002); and
• Were present in the defined geographic area during the applicable exposure period.

Individuals with prenatal exposure are those who:

• Were born between September 11, 2001, and April 25, 2003; and
• Had a biological mother who was present in the defined geographic area during the applicable exposure period while pregnant with the individual.

The defined geographic area refers to Manhattan not further north than 14th Street or the borough of Brooklyn (see map).

What's next?

If you are interested in learning more, please sign up for our YRC eNews to receive information about our progress and to be notified when enrollment opens to those who are eligible. If you know someone who might be interested in participating in the YRC, help spread the word by sharing this information with them.

Participation in the Youth Research Cohort is separate from enrollment in the WTC Health Program and does not determine eligibility for WTC Health Program benefits.