2025 Herbert E. Stokinger Awardee

The Herbert E. Stokinger Award is given each year to an individual who has made a significant contribution in the broad field of industrial and environmental toxicology.

The 2025 Stokinger Award recipient is Dennis J. Paustenbach, PhD, CIH, DABT.

Dennis J. Paustenbach has been an industrial hygienist and toxicologist for nearly 50 years. He earned his BS in chemical engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute, his MS in industrial hygiene and toxicology from the Univ of Michigan, and his PhD in toxicology from Purdue. He did post-doctoral work at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base and at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is certified in industrial hygiene (CIH) and toxicology (DABT, FATS).

Dr. Dennis Paustenbach is a board-certified toxicologist and industrial hygienist with nearly 40 years of experience in risk assessment, environmental engineering, toxicology, safety, and occupational health. Since August 2024, he has served as Chief Toxicologist of the Strategic Health Sciences team at TRC Environmental, a global engineering firm with about 9,000 employees. From April 2019 to July 2024, he was President and senior consultant at Paustenbach & Associates. In 1985, he founded ChemRisk, which grew into the largest human and ecological risk assessment consulting group in the U.S., specializing in the analysis of chemicals and radionuclides in air, water, soil, sediments, consumer products, foods, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. At age 42, he was President and CEO of McLaren-Hart Environmental; a firm of 600 employees (which had $150M in revenue). Over the years, he has served as an adjunct professor at six universities. Last year, he published the third edition of his textbook entitled Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: Theory and Practice. He was lead editor of the seventh edition of Patty’s Toxicology, a seven-volume, 8,000-page reference work (2024).

Dr. Paustenbach will be presenting the Stokinger Lecture at the ACGIH 2025 Award Winner Recognition & Virtual Annual Meeting on October 29, 2025.

Lecture Title: “Can four decades of experience with dioxins inform scientists and regulatory agencies about how to regulate PFAS chemicals?”

Lecture Overview: The regulatory histories of dioxins and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) reveal notable parallels, both shaped by early toxicological concerns and advances in chemical detectability that preceded comprehensive epidemiological validation. Using 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as a case study, this lecture will address how initial high-dose animal studies and limited human data drove stringent regulations later challenged by epidemiology studies of several cohorts. It seems that the concerns about PFAS are driving regulatory agencies to promulgate extremely costly regulatory initiatives; like the recently promulgated MCL for drinking water. These initiatives are seemingly a result of the use of the precautionary principle rather than adherence to the scientific data. By comparing toxicological mechanisms, dose-response characteristics, and regulatory frameworks, this lecture suggests that a tiered approach to regulating PFAS chemicals is appropriate given the large uncertainties about the health hazard that this family of 2,000 chemical poses. Lessons from the dioxin wars suggest that a more balanced approach could reduce unnecessary economic burdens while still protecting public health.

Previous Award Recipients

• 1977 — John A. Zapp, PhD
• 1978 — Ralph C. Wands, CIH
• 1979 — Henry F. Smyth, Jr., PhD
• 1980 — Anna Baetjer, MD
• 1981 — Ernest Mastromatteo, MD
• 1982 — Hervey B. Elkins, PhD, CIH
• 1983 — Theodore Torkelson, ScD
• 1984 — Carrol S. Weil
• 1985 — Roger O. McClellan, DVM
• 1986 — Emil A. Pfitzer, ScD
• 1987 — Robert T. Drew
• 1988 — Melvin E. Andersen, PhD
• 1989 — Mary O. Amdur, PhD, CIH
• 1990 — Bernard Weiss, PhD
• 1991 — Renate Kimbrough, MD
• 1992 — John Doull, PhD, MD
• 1993 — Morton Lippmann, PhD, CIH
• 1994 — Robert Lauwerys, MD, ScD
• 1995 — Cesare Maltoni, MD
• 1996 — Elizabeth K. Weisburger, ScD, PhD
• 1997 — Herbert E. Christensen, ScD, MPH
• 1998 — Walter W. Melvin, Jr., ScD, MD
• 1999 — Roy Ernest Albert, MD
• 2000 — George M. Rusch
• 2001 — Gunnar Johanson, Doctor of Medical Science
• 2002 — Robert A. Scala, PhD
• 2003 — Prof. Dr. med. Helmut Greim
• 2004 — Hanspeter Witschi, MD
• 2005 — B. Dwight Culver, MD
• 2006 — Richard B. Schlesinger, PhD
• 2007 — Gerald L. Kennedy, Jr., DABT
• 2008 — Curtis D. Klaassen, PhD
• 2009 — Vincent Castranova, PhD
• 2010 — Bruce D. Naumann, PhD, DABT
• 2011 — Len Levy OBE, PhD, FFOM, FBTS
• 2012 — Michelle M. Schaper, PhD
• 2013 — Günter Oberdörster, DVM, PhD
• 2014 — Franklin E. Mirer, PhD, CIH
• 2015 — Nigel Walker, PhD, DABT
• 2016 — William D. Wagner
• 2017 — John Cocker, PhD
• 2018 — Mark D. Hoover, PhD, CHP, CIH
• 2019 — Vincent Castranova, PhD
• 2020 — Dr. Robert Landsiedel
• 2021 — M. Andrew Maier, MS, PhD, CIH, DABT, FAIHA
• 2022 — Terry Gordon, PhD
• 2023 — Edward Calabrese, PhD
• 2024 — Martyn T. Smith, PhD