MU doctor an expert witness in 9/11 case
The Herald-Dispatch
Dr. Ranavaya
March 22, 2009 @ 09:50 PM
LAURA WILCOX
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- A Marshall University physician is in the midst of a large task -- as an expert witness in a case concerning pulmonary illness in first responders to the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11.
Dr. Mohammed Ranavaya, chief of the division of occupational and disability medicine at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine since 2000, became part of the case in December.
"They have sent me boxes and boxes of records to sift through," Ranavaya said. "It's a huge project. We're looking at 10,000 claimants here."
That number does not include residents or others in the area around the event, but only firefighters and first responders.
The courts are using the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, sixth edition, in the case. Ranavaya was approached because he is one of the book's associate editors and the primary author of several chapters, including the pulmonary chapter.
As part of the case, Ranavaya will provide scientific advice and objectively determine the extent of impairment.
He said many first responders were exposed to various toxic pollutants when the towers came down, from dust and debris to fumes.
"As a result of that, they developed the pulmonary problems and they were diagnosed with a variety of ailments by the local doctors," he said.
After 9/11, many first responders began applying for medical benefits related to ailments such as asthma or bronchitis, he said.
"One of the questions is, how much of their lung problems were related to the exposure during the World Trade Center disaster and how much was pre-existing?" he said.
Ranavaya said his role is purely objective, as an expert working to determine the nature and extent of lung injuries sustained by firefighters and first responders as a result of the World Trade Center disaster. Then, the courts can do their job of assigning appropriate compensation where needed, he said.
He estimated his role in the case could take several months or even a year.
SOURCE
2009/03/23
MU doctor an expert witness in 9/11 case
The Herald-Dispatch
Dr. Ranavaya
March 22, 2009 @ 09:50 PM
LAURA WILCOX
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- A Marshall University physician is in the midst of a large task -- as an expert witness in a case concerning pulmonary illness in first responders to the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11.
Dr. Mohammed Ranavaya, chief of the division of occupational and disability medicine at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine since 2000, became part of the case in December.
"They have sent me boxes and boxes of records to sift through," Ranavaya said. "It's a huge project. We're looking at 10,000 claimants here."
That number does not include residents or others in the area around the event, but only firefighters and first responders.
The courts are using the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, sixth edition, in the case. Ranavaya was approached because he is one of the book's associate editors and the primary author of several chapters, including the pulmonary chapter.
As part of the case, Ranavaya will provide scientific advice and objectively determine the extent of impairment.
He said many first responders were exposed to various toxic pollutants when the towers came down, from dust and debris to fumes.
"As a result of that, they developed the pulmonary problems and they were diagnosed with a variety of ailments by the local doctors," he said.
After 9/11, many first responders began applying for medical benefits related to ailments such as asthma or bronchitis, he said.
"One of the questions is, how much of their lung problems were related to the exposure during the World Trade Center disaster and how much was pre-existing?" he said.
Ranavaya said his role is purely objective, as an expert working to determine the nature and extent of lung injuries sustained by firefighters and first responders as a result of the World Trade Center disaster. Then, the courts can do their job of assigning appropriate compensation where needed, he said.
He estimated his role in the case could take several months or even a year.
SOURCE
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