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For Immediate Release
June 9, 2006
News Release
Local Scientist Wins Top EPA Science Award
Contact: Ann Brown, 919-541-7818, or brown.ann@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C.-June 9, 2006) Raleigh area resident Larry D. Claxton, a scientist with EPA's Office of Research and Development in Research Triangle Park, N.C., has received a prestigious EPA award for conducting the first comprehensive scientific review and assessment of the potential for air pollution to cause genetic mutations or cancer.
The Scientific and Technological Achievement Award (STAA) is a top honor recognizing outstanding achievement in research. Claxton received one of three first place (Level I) STAA awards. His research involved assembling and reviewing a wealth of scientific literature on toxicity of airborne pollutants and chemicals in order to identify airborne mutagens, determine primary sources, compare results of different studies, and analyze the methodologies used in research. The end result was a single source of information that scientists and public health officials can use for evaluating the potential effects of airborne mutagens and carcinogens.
"The bodies of work that we are recognizing with these awards are fine examples of how cutting-edge science and research not only advance our understanding of the environment, but also provide solutions for meeting the EPA's mission to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment," said George Gray, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development which sponsors the STAA awards program.
The STAA awards are presented to recognize outstanding scientific and technological achievements that have been peer-reviewed and published in scientific journals by EPA employees. The 2005 awards were presented May 18 at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Claxton served as the lead author for the paper, The genotoxicity of ambient outdoor air, a review: Salmonella Mutagenicity, which appeared in the November, 2004, issue of the scientific journal Mutation Research - Reviews. Other employees who shared in the honor are Sarah Warren and Peggy Matthews.
EPA's laboratories, research centers, and grantees are building the scientific foundation needed to support the Agency's mission to safeguard human health and the environment.
EPA 2005 STAA Awards recipients: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/staa
EPA's Office of Research and Development: www.epa.gov/ord