Environmental Progress - Winter 2000

Hammer Award to Tom Hornshaw

Recognizes work on short-term exposure guidelines

Tom Hornshaw, manager of Illinois EPA's Toxicity Assessment Unit in the Office of Environmental Policy and Science, has been presented with former Vice President Gore's National Performance Review Hammer Award. The Hammer Award is presented to government employees who have made significant contributions in support of reinventing government principles.

At a ceremony in Washington D.C. in January, Tom and other members of the Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGL) Committee were presented the award. It recognized their innovative efforts to develop recommendations for short-term exposure guidelines. The committee consists of representatives of various interest groups, including state agencies, which have a stake in the effects of accidental releases of chemicals to the air.

The AEGLs are developed for time periods ranging from 10 minute to eight-hour exposures, for three levels of effects:

1. ) protection against irritation,
2. ) protection against permanent or disabling injury, and
3. ) protection from death.

The committee members received the Hammer Award for innovative approaches to developing recommendations to U.S. EPA for AEGLs for more than 70 toxic chemicals.

Tom joined the Illinois EPA in 1985 and provides toxicological expertise in areas such as risk assessment, site remediation objectives, fish consumption advisories and major regulatory proceedings for water, soil and air contaminants. He was a member of the team that developed the Tiered Approach to Corrective Action Objectives rule. He was also a member of the team that developed the Illinois EPA's Endocrine Disrupter Strategy document and continues to be involved in the evolution of the Agency's strategy for addressing endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Dr. Hornshaw obtained BS and MS degrees in Fisheries Biology from Michigan State University. He holds dual Ph.Ds., also from Michigan State, in Animal Science and Environmental Toxicology.