Dust: The Inside Story of its Role in the September 11th Aftermath

273 Pages·2010·1.3 MB·English

by  Paul J. Lioy

D U S T

D U S T
The Inside Story of Its Role in the
September 11th Aftermath
Paul J. Lioy
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2010 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except
by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lioy, Paul J.
Dust : the inside story of its role in the September 11th aftermath / Paul J. Lioy.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4422-0148-4 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4422-0150-7
(electronic)
1. Dust—New York (State)—New York—Environmental aspects. 2.
Dust—Analysis. 3. Dust—Health aspects. 4. September 11 Terrorist Attacks,
2001—Health aspects. 5. Air—Pollution—Measurement. 6. World Trade
Center Site (New York, N.Y.) 7. Pulmonary toxicology. I. Title.
TD884.5.L568 2010
363.738—dc22 2009031559
 ™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
To Alexander and Samuel Lioy
“Live long and prosper.” —Spock in Star Trek
To Jeanie and Jason, and Laura,
“Thanks for the memories.” —Bob Hope

CONTENTS
Foreword by Governor Tom Kean ix
Prologue xi
Acknowledgments xvii
1 When Life Changed 1
2 C ollecting Dust at Ground Zero 21
3 F reeing the WTC Dust 39
4 T he Path to Research and Sample Analysis 49
5 T iming Is Everything for Exposure 59
6 A Scientific Framework 71
7 T he Presence of Lead 85
8 W hat Was in That WTC Dust? 95
9 I nto the Unknown: Exposure and Health 121
10 T alking and Writing: To What End? 141
11 WTC Dust Sticks Like Glue 157
vii
viii CONTENTS
12 E xposure Science in Future Catastrophes 175
13 Final Thoughts 199
Appendix A. Presentation of the Detailed Data Set
on the Compounds Measured in the
WTC Dust Samples 203
Appendix B. Original Members of the WTC Technical Panel 215
Appendix C. Comments on WTC Signature Study and Peer
Review from Greg Meeker, Paul Lioy,
and Mort Lippmann, November 3, 2005 217
Glossary 231
Bibliography 235
Index 243
About the Author 249
FOREWORD
T
he rationale behind the establishment of the Environmental and Oc-
cupational Health Science Institute (EOHSI) began to evolve during
the 1980s—a time that saw multiple environmental crises affecting our
state along with increasing pressure to create more jobs. I have never
believed that these two goals have to be in conflict. From my early ef-
forts to preserve Sunfish Pond in Northwest New Jersey, to my work
on complex environmental issues, such as dioxin and radon, it became
clear that there needed to be scientific data to supplement and support
our environmental policies. In 1986, I met with leaders from the scien-
tific and academic communities to create an institute to attract the top
scientists in various fields and disciplines who would provide in-depth
scientific research and analysis without the intrusion of politics. Our
goal was to ensure that our environmental policies had sound scientific
backing and to support clean jobs for our future. It was clear that New
Jersey needed to attract the brightest minds in order to cultivate the
best jobs and attract the best industries to our state.
The unique landscape of New Jersey with its rural, suburban, coastal,
and urban areas has led to the need for unique and sensitive environ-
mental policies. However, with increased business and residential devel-
opment occurring throughout the state, the usage of accurate, scientific
data to form environmental policy became mandatory. The EOHSI has
ix