Industrial Hygiene Foundation Papers

Established in 1935, the Air Hygiene Foundation was a nonprofit trade organization that conducted research, and collected and disseminated information on occupational health and industrial hygiene. The Foundation was created by industry leaders in response to the Hawk Nest Tunnel disaster, a large-scale incident of occupational silicosis that occurred during the construction of a 3-mile tunnel through Gauley Mountain near Summersville, West Virginia.

The Air Hygiene Foundation was headquartered at the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. Dr. H. B. Meller, who had lead the smoke abatement investigations at the City of Pittsburgh and the air pollution fellowship at the Mellon Institute, was the Foundation’s first director. By 1941 the organization changed its name to Industrial Hygiene Foundation and expanded its research scope to include a broader range of industrial activities.

The Foundation’s scope of research included hazardous dusts, fumes, vapors, gases, as well as other environmental factors such as noise, illumination and radiant heat. The Foundation primarily assisted member companies by conducting research on industrial health problems, identifying possible solutions, and developing health and medical programs. The Foundation also contributed to advancing the science of industrial medicine and hygiene through research, surveys, and publications. Research was classified under eight main headings, medical, chemistry, toxicology and industrial hygiene, engineering, air pollution, noise, research, legal, and general advancement of industrial health.

Sources:

“The Activities and Members of Industrial Hygiene Foundation,” Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, 1954.

“History of Industrial Hygiene Foundation: A Research Association of Industries for Advancing Health and Improving Working Conditions,” Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, 1956.