Paul J. Lioy

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At the time of his unexpected death, Paul J. Lioy was professor and vice chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and director of exposure science at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers.

Photography: 
Nick Romanenko

Paul J. Lioy—an internationally recognized environmental scientist, professor and vice chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and director of exposure science at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers—died on July 8 at the age of 68. A resident of Cranford, New Jersey, he was best known for his study of the toxic dust generated by the destruction of the twin towers on September 11, 2001, leading to the publication of his book Dust: The Inside Story of Its Role in the September 11th Aftermath (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011).

His pioneering research revealed the elements that constituted the toxic brew that settled over Ground Zero. High concentrations of cement dust and glass fibers lodged in the airways and lungs of early emergency responders and nearby residents contributed to the “World Trade Center cough.” Lioy GSNB’73,’75 was also a professor of environmental and occupational health at the School of Public Health. Lioy’s research career also led to investigations of oil spills, ozone depletion, and pesticides.

Lioy was born on May 27, 1947, in Passaic, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at the former Montclair State College; a master’s degree from Auburn University; and master’s and doctoral degrees in environmental science from Rutgers.  Lioy is survived by his wife, the former Mary Jean Yonone AG’72, GSNB’86; his  mother, Jean Lioy; his son, Jason GSNB’99; his sister, Mary Jean Giannini; and two grandchildren.