One of the first scientists to take samples from Ground Zero after the destruction of the Twin Towers, Lioy shares his personal and professional perspectives on the World Trade Center dust. What was in the material that rained down after the disintegration of these buildings? Why did officials wrongly choose to focus on the release of asbestos? How did the size of the dust particles influence the development of the World Trade Center Cough among rescue workers and other New Yorkers? When were respirators used on site and what changes should be made to respirator design now? Dust answers these, and many other, questions about the environmental effects, public policy initiatives, health outcomes and scientific findings that played a critical role in the aftermath of September 11th. Beyond providing insightful analysis of what happened then, this book details the significant steps we need to take in order to better prepare for future catastrophes.
Paul J. Lioy is a Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is Deputy Director for Government Relations and Director of Exposure Science at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute of Rutgers University and RWJMS-UMDNJ. Dr. Lioy received the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) Jerome Wesolowski Award for Lifetime Achievement in Exposure in 1998, the Frank Chambers Award for lifetime achievement in Air Pollution from the Air and Waste Management Association in 2003, and the Rutgers University Graduate School's Distinguished Alumnus award in Mathematics, Engineering and Physical Sciences in 2008. He received a National Conservation Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, and their Founders Trustees, Ellen Hardin Walworth Medal for Patriotism in 2009. He has served on the Science Advisory Board, US EPA, and the National Research Council, Board of Toxicology and Environmental Studies. He is a founder and past-president of the ISES. Dr. Lioy is an associate editor of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, and of the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. He has published over 245 scientific papers and other publications. Honorable Thomas H. Kean, served as Governor of the State of New Jersey 1982-1990, and during his term was rated as one of the nation's most effective leaders by Newsweek magazine. In 2002 he was appointed by President Bush as Chairman, 9/11 Commission. The Commission's Report, released in July of 2004 became a national bestseller, and its recommendations resulted in the largest intelligence reform in the nation's history. He was President of Drew University, Madison, NJ from 1990 through 2005, stressing teaching, creative use of technology in the liberal arts, and international education. Currently he serves on numerous boards, and has a regular column with The Star Ledger, NJ.
Foreword When Life Changed Collecting Dust at Ground Zero Freeing the WTC Dust Who is in Charge Here? Timing is Everything A Scientific Framework The Presence of Lead (Pb) What Was in that WTC Dust? Into the Unknown: Exposure and Health Talking and Writing: To What End? WTC Dust Sticks Like Glue Exposure Science in Future Catastrophes Final Thoughts Appendix A: Bibliography Appendix B: Presentation of the detailed data set on the compounds measured in the WTC Dust Samples Appendix C: Original Members of the WTC Panel Appendix D: Comments on the WTC Signature Study and Peer Review
What People are Saying About This
Dennis Smith
Paul Lioy has made an important contribution to the literature of 9/11 with DUST for he convinces us that in addition to the horrendous loss of life in that attack on America there was also a more subtle but very definable environmental disaster inflicted upon us. All of the rescue and recovery workers at the World Trade Center knew that the air was toxic, but just how toxic it was has not been fully understood until this book, told in a language that is clear and understandable yet with the power of scientific credibility and Dr. Lioy's credentials. The people of New York, New Jersey and the workers at that tragic place will learn much about the air they were breathing while the world watched in shock. It may be too late for some who did their best that day and the succeeding days, but with DUST we now have a wake-up call about the way we prepare for future environmental disasters.
Anthony DePalma
Paul Lioy was one of the first scientific investigators to show up at Ground Zero and he relentlessly analyzed the dust he collected there until it surrendered its dark secrets, which he lays out in razor sharp detail in Dust. Dr. Lioy leads readers on a precise and personal journey through the haze of ignorance and emotion unleashed by the 9/11 attacks. In the process he brings great clarity to what happened to our air after the towers came down. But he is writing not just about the past. Just as he wants to leave a record of those days for his grandchildren, he is intent on laying out options for what can be done to minimize the harm of future catastrophes. Dustis an important book for these perilous times.
Philip J. Landrigan
A sobering and realistic assessment of the environmental consequences of 9/11 by one of the nation's leading experts. This authoritative work will inform decisions on the management of major disasters for years to come.
Dana Boyd Barr
Dust is an amazing recollection of the scientific issues surrounding exposures after 9/11. Dr. Lioy's firsthand involvement with these studies and his scientific expertise qualify him to write such a book. But the personal aspects he brings to the writing provides much perspective into what our nation was facing at the time. I highly recommend reading this book.
Daniel A. Vallero
In Dust, Paul Lioy captures many watershed events following the attacks on September 11, 2001 through much of this decade. He does so in a way only a first-hand participant can. This is no ordinary journey. Dr. Lioy not only describes the events in vivid prose as only a impassioned New Yorker can, but also with the rigor of a world renowned researcher and seasoned educator. Dr. Lioy applies both sides of his brain to stitch a tapestry of emotion and reason, of reverence and objectivity, and of deconstruction and lessons learned. This important book is essential reading that will evoke discussion in the classroom, the boardroom and the living room, in the college seminar and in the church basement. Dr. Lioy’s brilliant and eclectic career has prepared him for a book that reaches the scientist and the non-technical reader, alike. I hope and expect his insights and recommendations will be heeded.
Clifford Chanin
A compelling combination of personal memoir and scientific investigation, Dust explores one of the most consequential - but least understood - outcomes of the 9/11 attacks and the collapse of the Twin Towers. The challenge Paul Lioy and his colleagues faced lay in determining what was contained in a kind of dust that no one had ever seen, what risks it posed, and how it could be handled. Lioy creates a timeline of damage and dispersal that takes the reader through the fascinating process of discovery. An accessible and intriguing account of this important episode in the history of 9/11.
