Story highlights Paul James Lioy was among the first to study the dust at the World Trade Center site

He found and warned of the negative health effects of the dust

(CNN) Paul James Lioy, an environmental scientist known for his analysis of the health effects of the dust produced by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, died this week after collapsing at Newark Liberty International Airport. He was 68.

The cause of death has not been determined, his wife Jean Lioy told the New York Times.

The author of the 2010 published book "Dust: The Inside Story of Its Role in the September 11th Aftermath," Lioy received two lifetime achievement awards -- the Wesolowski Award from the International Society of Exposure Analysis and the Frank Chambers Award from the Air and Waste Management Association.

Lioy was a professor of environmental and occupational health at the Rutgers University School of Public Health, where he specialized in exposure science, according to the university's website.

He was also the deputy director for government relations for the Public Health department at Rutgers University.

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