About

For over 69 years, ACGIH^® has been considered a well-respected organization by individuals in the industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety industry. What began as a limited membership base has grown to the all-encompassing categories of today. During this time, ACGIH^® has grown and expanded without losing sight of its original goal, "to encourage the interchange of experience among industrial hygiene workers and to collect and make accessible such information and data as might be of aid to them in the proper fulfillment of their duties."

The independent National Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (NCGIH) convened on June 27, 1938, in Washington, D.C. Representatives to the conference included 76 members, representing 24 states, three cities, one university, the U.S. Public Health Service, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. This meeting was the culmination of concerted efforts by John J. Bloomfield and Royd S. Sayers.

NCGIH originally limited its full membership to two representatives from each governmental industrial hygiene agency. In 1946, the organization changed its name to the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH^®) and offered full membership to all industrial hygiene personnel within the agencies as well as to governmental industrial hygiene professionals in other countries. Today, membership is open to all practitioners in industrial hygiene, occupational health, environmental health, and safety domestically and abroad. In September 2000, ACGIH^® members approved an amendment of the organization's Bylaws, which allows members who are not government or academic employees greater voting rights as well as the opportunity to serve on the ACGIH^® Board. The amendment set new member categories, including the Organizational member category.

At its first meeting, NCGIH created nine standing committees. The committees were charged to address the important industrial hygiene issues of the pre-War era: appraisal methods; relationships with industry, labor, the medical profession and other agencies; technical standards; education; uniform reporting of occupational diseases and other illnesses among workers; administrative development of state activities; industrial health code; legislation; and personnel. Over the next five decades, some of these Committees evolved and expanded, assuming different titles; some became the purview of other organizations or agencies; and some achieved their goals and ended their active roles. Today, 11 ACGIH^® committees focus their energies on a range of topics: agricultural safety and health, air sampling instruments, bioaerosols, biological exposure indices, computer, industrial ventilation, infectious agents, international, small business, chemical substance TLVs^®, and physical agent TLVs^®.

The tradition of reliable working committees has served ACGIH^® exceptionally well. Through the efforts of its Committees, ACGIH^® has been able to provide critical information and has recommended practices to industrial hygienists worldwide. This history of sharing knowledge, based on careful study and independent judgment, has garnered international respect and accolades for the Conference.

Undoubtedly the best known of ACGIH^®'s activities, the Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances (TLV^®-CS) Committee was established in 1941. This group was charged with investigating, recommending, and annually reviewing exposure limits for chemical substances. It became a standing committee in 1944. Two years later, the organization adopted its first list of 148 exposure limits, then referred to as Maximum Allowable Concentrations. The term "Threshold Limit Values (TLVs^®)" was introduced in 1956. The first Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values was published in 1962 and is now in its seventh edition. Today's list of TLVs^® includes 642 chemical substances and physical agents, as well as 47 Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs^®) for selected chemicals.

Two other ACGIH^® committees have created publications that are recognized as the preeminent professional references in their respective fields: Industrial Ventilation: A Manual of Recommended Practice, first published in 1951, and Air Sampling Instruments for Evaluation of Atmospheric Contaminants which debuted in 1960. The Ventilation Manual, now known as Industrial Ventilation: A Manual of Recommended Practice for Design (or the "Design Manual"), is now in its 26th edition and has a companion, Industrial Ventilation: A Manual of Recommended Practice for Operation and Maintenance (the "O&M Manual"). The ASI Manual is in its 9th edition.

The other ACGIH^® committees have also published valuable professional reference texts. Some of these include: Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control (1999); A Guide for Control of Laser Hazards, 4th Edition (1990); and Particle Size–Selective Sampling for Particulate Air Contaminants (1999).

ACGIH^® offers approximately 400 publication titles, including their well-known Signature Publications. Topics include industrial hygiene, environment, safety and health, toxicology, medical, hazardous materials/waste, workplace controls, indoor air quality, physical agents, ergonomics, distance learning, computer resources, downloadable TLV^® and BEI^® Documentation, and professional development. All of ACGIH^®'s publications can be ordered online at www.acgih.org/store.

In addition to our publications, ACGIH^® has supported numerous educational activities that facilitate the exchange of ideas, information, and techniques. These courses, symposia, webinars, and workshops are all vehicles for achieving the ultimate goal of worker health and safety.

Over the years, the topics have included cotton dust exposures, workplace control of carcinogens, industrial hygiene for mining and tunneling, asbestos identification and measurement, and others. Today, this commitment to providing forums for discussion of timely issues is evidenced through webinars, seminars and conferences on bloodborne pathogens and sharps injuries, air sampling, industrial ventilation, bioaerosols, mining, occupational exposure databases, mold remediation, and others.

With the opening of its Professional Learning Center, ACGIH^® is committed to providing its members and others in the occupational and environmental health industry with the information they need to excel in their profession. As part of this commitment, ACGIH^® is pleased to offer cutting edge courses, webinars, workshops, and symposia.

In 1961, ACGIH^® began co-sponsoring an annual conference with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). Today, the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) is one of the world's premier conferences for occupational and environmental safety and health professionals. It attracts an international attendance of almost 8,000 each year. ACGIH^® Committees and individual members contribute their expertise in professional development courses, technical sessions, and poster sessions. Also featured is the ACGIH^® Pavilion, where industry professionals can purchase publications, see software demonstrations, apply for membership, and find information on upcoming educational events.

ACGIH^®'s dedication to information dissemination is also evident through its commitment to the journal, the Journal Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH). First published in 1986 under the title Applied Industrial Hygiene, the journal focuses on publishing information that practicing professionals can apply in their day-to-day activities. The name was changed in 1990 to Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (Applied), to reflect the scope and emphasis of the journal. In January 2004, Applied and the AIHA Journal combined to become the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH), a new journal for the profession. JOEH, primarily an online journal, offers "fast track" publishing of approved articles, and a continuous flow of important scientific information to the profession. ACGIH^®'s continuing education program, The Action Level!^®, is included in the journal each month. The Action Level!^® is a convenient, cost-efficient program, through which Certified Industrial Hygienists and Certified Safety Professionals can maintain their certifications. J. Thomas Pierce, PhD, CIH, DABT, MBBS, coordinates this program, and questions are based on articles within each issue.

Building on its strengths and anticipating future successful operations, ACGIH^® revised its strategic plan in 2006. This plan addressed ACGIH^®'s future direction and its reason for existence and core purpose. The Plan reiterated ACGIH^®'s commitment to education and the development and dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge. In 2006, ACGIH^® updated its strategic plan — Thinking & Planning Strategically — as a consensus on what will constitute its success in the future.

In 1998, ACGIH^® formed the Foundation for Occupational Health & Safety (FOHS). FOHS was established to complement the work of the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF). The FOHS mission includes:

• Sponsoring research, education, and the publication of scientific information
• Providing a vehicle for financial support of the improvement and enhancement of occupational and environmental health and safety and the general public health
• Disseminating the results of valuable research findings and assuring a heightened quality of continuing education in occupational safety and health

The Worldwide Outreach Program has as its mission to support the professional development of occupational health and safety with emphasis on primary prevention in Occupational Hygiene. Qualifying educational organizations, professional organizations, and non-government organizations and/or collaborating centers seeking to further the goals of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centers for Occupational Health’s 2006-2010 Work Plan are encouraged to apply to receive program grants ranging from $1,000-$2,000.

Since its founding in 1938, ACGIH^® has gone through many changes. Its membership has grown and diversified; its interests and projects have multiplied; names and faces in the organization have changed. Despite these changes, ACGIH^® has not lost sight of its original objectives, which are reflected in today's core purpose: "ACGIH^® is a member-based organization that advances occupational and environmental health."