Abstract
How do we move from diatribe to dialogue? Since the Donald E. Cummings Award ll'asfirst established in 1943, the profession of industrial hygiene has seen many changes. The traditional hazards Alice Hamilton addressed in her 1948 Cummings lecture have been controlled. However, the advent of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has changed the approach of many of today's industrial hygienistsfrom "best professionalpractices" to regulatory compliance or OSHA industrial hygiene. Further, the dialogue that has existed between academia, business, government, and labor that allows industrial hygienists to identifY and resolve health hazards is nOll' threatened by lawsuits and lobbyists. Industrial hygienistshave a professional responsibility to workers, employers, clients, and the public. Our vision for the future must refocus on this responsibility as we once again embrace dialogue instead of diatribe. This lecture was presented at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition in Atlanta, Ga., on Ma:v 13, 1998.