In April, AIHA announced the recipients of the 2017 AIHA awards, which honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety professions. The award recipients will be recognized on Wednesday, June 7, during the Mark of Excellence Awards Breakfast at AIHce EXP.

This year’s award recipients are:

“It is an honor to acknowledge the work, creativity, and commitment of this year’s award recipients,” said AIHA President Steven E. Lacey, PhD, CIH, CSP. “These individuals represent the best of our association, and I look forward to thanking and congratulating them at the Mark of Excellence Breakfast in Seattle.”

AIHA will announce the Social Responsibility Award, Smyth Award, and Yant Award recipients later in 2017. The AIHA Board of Directors recently approved two new documents developed by AIHA volunteer groups.

A new white paper () sponsored by the AIHA Construction and Toxicology Committees and the Green Building Working Group examines the use of volatile organic compound (VOC) sampling for pre-occupancy assessment of new construction. The science-based review finds that VOC sampling is not an effective screening tool for materials emissions, is not predictive of occupant health effects, and does not evaluate overall indoor air quality (IAQ). The white paper cautions that proposed changes to new construction criteria that retain VOC sampling may still produce false positive and false negative conclusions. However, the document also notes that VOC sampling can still be a useful tool in IAQ investigations.

New guidance () sponsored by the AIHA Nanotechnology Working Group addresses stewardship considerations for nanomaterials and nanoproducts based on the evolving state of the science for human health hazard, exposure, and risk assessment. The guidance promotes a lifecycle approach and safer design principles for particles, production, and products; reviews the regulatory landscape; and provides practical suggestions to help determine presence of nanoscale ingredients in raw materials from suppliers. In March, the Arabian Gulf Local Section (AGLS) of AIHA held a technical dinner event focused on hearing conservation programs and the validation of hearing protection devices. Mohammed Ameen Hatooq, senior technology application engineer at 3M, led the meeting, which was held in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. More information about the event is available on the AGLS , and photos from the meeting can be found on the AIHA national .

News and event information from AGLS can be found on its recently launched .

AIHA Director of Government Relations Mark Ames recently addressed members of the Michigan Industrial Hygiene Society (MIHS) who were gathered for the local section’s annual Past President’s Breakfast and Annual Business Meeting. William (Bill) Kilgore, CIH, past president of MIHS, wrote a summary of the meeting, which is available on AIHA’s .

Following Ames’ presentation, the MIHS Board decided to partner with him to become more engaged in government relations as an integrated aspect of the society’s operations. Learn more about .

, CIH, of Dickinson, Texas, passed away on March 18. He was 83. Deese worked as an industrial hygienist for many years, including for Union Carbide Corporation. He helped establish the IH lab at the company’s Texas City plant and made significant contributions to Union Carbide’s IH programs, including the computerization of IH data in the early 1970s. He later worked as a consultant. .

PhD, MD, of Olathe, Kan., an AIHA member from 1952 to 2012, passed away on March 24. He was 94. Doull was professor emeritus of pharmacology and toxicology at KU Medical Center and a charter member and past president of the Society of Toxicology. He was also a consultant to NIH, the National Academy of Sciences, EPA, and the White House Advisory Panel. . The 2016 AIHce Virtual Conference recently won the Abila Excellence Award-Innovator. The Abila Excellence Awards recognize association, nonprofit, and government customers who have shown exemplary achievement through their use of Abila products. Through the use of Freestone, a learning management system through Abila, AIHA has been able to strategically grow the virtual AIHce program in innovative ways. AIHce Virtual Conference is an interactive experience with conference keynotes and curated education sessions brought directly to attendees in real time. . On May 17, AIHA CEO Larry Sloan, CAE, and Steven E. Lacey, PhD, CIH, CSP, president of AIHA's Board of Directors, will present a session at InformEx, an annual custom chemical manufacturing trade convention organized by the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA). Sloan and Lacey will discuss “Making the Business Case for Occupational Health and Safety” and introduce the audience to AIHA and the Product Stewardship Society. . of New York and of Tennessee are the first-quarter 2017 winners of the online survey drawing that appears in the e-newsletter. Both are the lucky recipients of $200 American Express gift cards. Remember to take the online survey for your chance to win!

June 4–7 in Seattle, Wash. June 12–18 OSHA's inaugural , co-sponsored by AIHA. October 30–31 in Tampa, Fla.