NEW YORK, NY November 29, 2007 —Many children exposed to World Trade Center dust developed breathing problems after September 11th. That's one finding from the city’s first research report on the health effects of the disaster on children. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

According to the report, children less than 5 years old have asthma at twice the rate of other kids their age in the northeast. About half of the 3100 children enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry developed at least one new or worsened respiratory symptom. The findings are from interviews conducted in 2003 and 2004.

Health officials say further research is needed to determine whether some findings are due to better detection. The Registry monitors various long-term health conditions, based on surveys conducted every few years. A follow-up round is currently underway. It goes until next March. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.