NIOSH Nominates Exemplary Studies for 2009 CDC Science Award

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 245-0645
February 23, 2009

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) nominated eight outstanding studies by NIOSH researchers for a prestigious scientific award for 2009. NIOSH also submitted one nomination for the award's lifetime scientific achievement category.

The 2009 Charles C. Shepard Science Award is sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of which NIOSH is a part. The award honors excellence in science at CDC during the year 2008; the winners will be announced in June 2009.

"NIOSH's research is respected for its breadth and depth, its commitment to scientific excellence, and its vital contributions in helping to make workplaces safer and healthier," said NIOSH Acting Director Christine M. Branche, Ph.D. "These qualities are exemplified in the NIOSH studies nominated this year for the respected Shepard Award."

The studies that NIOSH nominated were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The eight papers were nominated in the categories of Laboratory and Methods; Assessment and Epidemiology; and Prevention and Control.

NIOSH nominated five studies under the Laboratory and Methods categories:

• Shvedova AA, Kisin E, Murray AR, Johnson V, Gorelik O, Arepalli S, Hubbs AF, Mercer R, Keohavong P, Sussman N, Jin J, Stone S, Chen BT, Deye G, Maynard A, Castranova V, Baron PA, Kagan VE [2008]. Inhalation vs. aspiration of single-walled carbon nanotubes in C57BL/6 mice: inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and mutagenesis. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 295:L522-L565.
• Erdely AD, Hulderman T, Salmen R, Liston A, Erdely PD, Schwegler-Berry DE, Castranova V, Koyama S, Kim Y, Endo M, Simeonova PP [2008]. Cross-Talk between Lung and Systemic Circulation during Carbon Nanotube Respiratory Exposure - Potential Biomarkers. Nano Letters.
• Frasch H, Barbero A [2008]. The transient dermal exposure: theory and experimental examples using skin and silicone membranes. J Pharm Sci 97(4):1578-1592.
• James A. Snyder, Eugene Demchuk, Erin C. McCanlies, Christine R. Schuler, Kathleen Kreiss, Michael E. Andrew, Bonnie L. Frye, James S. Ensey, Marcia L. Stanton and Ainsley Weston, Impact Of Negatively Charged Patches On The Surface Of MHC Class II Antigen- Presenting Proteins On Risk Of Chronic Beryllium Disease. J. R. Soc. Interface 5, 749-758 (2008).
• Rengasamy, S et al. [2008]. Filtration performance of NIOSH-Approved N95 and P100 Filtering Facepiece Respirators against 4 to 30 nanometer size nanoparticles. JOEH, Sept 2008; 5(9): 556-564

Under the category of Assessment and Epidemiology, NIOSH nominated two articles:

• Stayner LT, Kuempel E, Gilbert S, Hein M, Dement J. An epidemiologic study of the role of chrysotile asbestos fiber dimensions in determining respiratory disease risk in exposed workers. Occup Environ Med 65(9):613-619, Sept. 2008.
• Bell, Jennifer L., Collins, James W., Wolf, Laurie, Grnqvist, Raoul, Chiou, Sharon, Chang, Wen-Ruey, Sorock, Gary S., Courtney, Theodore K., Lombardi, David A. and Evanoff, Bradley(2008). Evaluation of a comprehensive slip, trip and fall prevention programme for hospital employees. Ergonomics,51:12,1906-1925.

NIOSH nominated one study in the Prevention and Control category:

• Schrader SM, Breitenstein MJ, and Lowe BD. Cutting off the nose to save the penis. J Sex Med 2008;5:1932-1940

NIOSH also nominated Dr. Richard W. Niemeier for the lifetime scientific achievement award to recognize his distinguished service to NIOSH over four decades. Dr. Niemeier is one of the world's leading experts on the toxic effects of chemicals. He has made important contributions to public health through both his laboratory-based research on chemical carcinogens and his guidance for preventing chemical exposures in the workplace and for emergency personnel responding to chemical incidents or terrorist events. Nomination for this prestigious award recognizes not only his outstanding contribution to occupational safety and health, but also his dedication and commitment to the NIOSH mission.

The NIOSH nominations will appear on the NIOSH web page at www.cdc.gov/niosh/awards/Shepard/ . For further information about NIOSH research and recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths, visit the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh/ .