NIOSH Research Nominated for CDC Exemplary Science Award

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 401-3749

Six scientific papers are nominated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the 2005 Charles C. Shepard Science Awards. The awards are presented annually by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of which NIOSH is a part, to honor excellence in science at CDC by recognizing research published in peer-reviewed journals during the previous year.

The studies nominated by NIOSH:

• Exhibited a new method to test for three pesticides simultaneously to determine pesticide exposure in pesticide applicators. This provides a significant advancement over traditional methods, substantially reducing the time spent for analysis.
• Rigorously evaluated sampling and analytical methods for monitoring complex diesel exhaust fumes in underground coal mines, and concluded that a specific fume component, submicrometer elemental carbon, is a precise and reliable measure of exposure to the tiny exhaust particles that are contained in such fumes.
• Demonstrated how a laboratory and field study of a mechanical lifting device resulted in lowering the incidence of work-related back injuries in nursing home employees.
• Found a significant relationship between measurements of work-related silica dust exposure and mortality from lung cancer among granite workers in Vermont, after other potential causes were taken into account. The study provides new data for addressing the issue of silica dust and lung cancer.
• Demonstrated that the "MALDI-TOF" mass spectrometry method can provide a faster technique for identifying mycobacteria, such as those that cause tuberculosis, on the basis of unique proteins extracted from bacterial cells.
• Displayed the feasibility of high-efficiency filtration units, containment zones, and directed airflow to protect healthcare workers from occupational exposures to potentially infectious agents. This high-efficiency filtration device is about the size of a small refrigerator, easy to move, and relatively inexpensive. These units can be moved to any potentially infectious location at any time to ensure a safer environment for healthcare staff, fellow patients, and visitors.

NIOSH also is nominating Marilyn A. Fingerhut, Ph.D., in the category of Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award to recognize her outstanding career of scholarship and leadership in preventing occupational disease, injury, and death. In addition, NIOSH is nominating the editors and staff of the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards for Outstanding Scientific Contribution to Public Health.

CDC will announce the winners of the 2005 Shepard Awards on June 22, 2005. The NIOSH nominations appear on the NIOSH web page at www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/shepard2004.html. For further information about NIOSH research and recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths, call the NIOSH toll-free information number 1-800-35-NIOSH or visit the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh.