The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) presented annual awards on May 1, 2002, to recognize the scientific excellence of technical and instructional materials by NIOSH scientists and engineers, and to honor exceptional service by an individual in the occupational safety and health field.

The Alice Hamilton Award for 2002 was presented to four NIOSH publications of superior scientific merit that were produced during 2001. The award is presented each year, on the basis of rigorous reviews by panels of scientific experts from outside the Institute, for outstanding NIOSH contributions in the areas of biological science, engineering and physical science, human studies, and educational materials. The award is named for Dr. Alice Hamilton, a pioneering researcher and occupational physician.

NIOSH also presented Dr. Philip J. Landrigan with the 2002 James P. Keogh Award for Outstanding Service in Occupational Safety and Health. Dr. Landrigan is Director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment, the Ethel H. Wise Chair of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, and Director of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, The Keogh Award is named for the late Dr. James P. Keogh, a scientist and advocate for worker safety and health. The award each year recognizes a current or former NIOSH employee for outstanding service in protecting workers' safety and health.

A study that furthers efforts to identify an appropriate measure for assessing potential risk of work-related chronic beryllium disease.
A training package to help users properly care for and maintain self-contained self-rescuers, a device that provides a critical supply of oxygen in emergencies.
A study that provides new understanding of genetic factors that may affect individuals' risk for work-related silicosis.
A study that identifies factors affecting the levels and types of herbicide exposures experienced by commercial applicators.

Publications were judged by the outside scientific review panels on several criteria, including the complexity and originality of the research, the significance of the research for addressing serious or prevalent workplace hazards, and the clarity of the presentation. A list of the winning publications appears on the following pages.

NIOSH announced the recipients in a ceremony at the institute's facilities in Pittsburgh, Pa. The ceremony was broadcast to other NIOSH locations in Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Spokane, Wash.; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta, Ga. Dr. Linda R. Murray, Medical Director of the Winfield Moody Health Center, Chicago, Ill., and a member of the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors, presented the keynote address at the ceremony.

For additional information on the winning publications, on Alice Hamilton Award winners from past years, and on other NIOSH research, contact the toll-free NIOSH information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674). Information on NIOSH research also is available on the World Wide Web at www.cdc.gov/niosh.