(Washington, DC - October 31, 2003) The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announces that Board members Drs. Irv Rosenthal and Andrea Kidd Taylor, who first joined the CSB in November 1998, have completed their five-year terms of office and are departing the agency.

Drs. Rosenthal and Taylor helped oversee the CSB during its initial growth into a working investigative body, including service as co-executives during a two-year vacancy in the Chair. Board Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt, who joined the agency in August 2002, said: "Starting any endeavor like this is always difficult, but Dr. Rosenthal and Dr. Taylor persevered. As a result, this agency has survived, it has grown, and its mission has advanced. Because of their efforts, lives have been saved and communities have been protected."

Board member John Bresland said: "Each brought unique attributes to the agency: Dr. Rosenthal has had a professorial thoroughness, a methodical dedication to the quality of our products. For Dr. Taylor, what counted most was always the public mission: the opportunity to reach out to plant workers, concerned citizens, and other people who were impacted by chemical accidents." Board member Dr. Gerald Poje, who led the agency along with Taylor and Rosenthal, said, "Justice, equity, and compassion were the hallmarks of their work here. It is a legacy they can truly be proud of."

The departures will temporarily leave the five-seat Board with three members. Rixio Medina of Oklahoma and Gary Visscher of Maryland have been nominated by President Bush to fill the two vacancies, and their appointments are pending before the Senate.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. CSB investigations look into all aspects of such events, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in safety management systems. Typically, the investigations involve extensive witness interviews, examination of physical evidence, and chemical and forensic testing. The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. For further information call Daniel Horowitz at (202) 261-7613 or visit www.csb.gov.