News Release

ACS's JobSpectrum to help state labs fill public health jobs; fight terrorism

Business Announcement

American Chemical Society

The American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) announce a new partnership to help state public health laboratories prepare for biomonitoring to combat the growing threat of chemical terrorism. This partnership is supported with funds provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through a cooperative agreement with APHL. The initiative creates a partnership between JobSpectrum.org, the comprehensive online career and employment site of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).

After September 11, public health labs around the country were presented with hundreds of thousands of environmental samples that had to be tested for chemical and biological agents. The samples ranged from air, water, and the nation's food supply, to human specimens. Human exposure to chemical warfare agents and industrial chemicals used by terrorists can be detected by biomonitoring. Public health labs are continuing to expand their biomonitoring capabilities for human exposure to toxic chemicals, including industrial, agricultural, and chemical warfare agents, that may be used by terrorists.

"The JobSpectrum.org - APHL partnership provides a new recruitment tool for public health laboratories as they increase staffing to expand their capacity and capability for biomonitoring of human exposure to chemical and infectious agents and environmental pollution. We are confident that this partnership between ACS and APHL will be a real asset for state and local public health labs in hiring qualified chemistry professionals to work on the important issues facing our nation's health," said Dr. Dayton Miller, Associate Director for Extramural Programs at CDC's Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health.

"APHL member labs are on the front line in protecting our nation's health," said John K Crum, ACS Executive Director. "This partnership will put scientific talent where it is greatly needed on behalf of Homeland Security. We are honored to be collaborating with APHL in this important effort."

State public health labs are recruiting environmental health and chemistry professionals across the 50 states and the U.S. territories. People in these new positions will help to identify chemical or biological agents, assess human exposure, and measure environmental contamination. Increased staffing will enable state and local labs to provide critical data for future decision-making in dealing with both the threat of terrorism and human exposure to environmental chemicals. JobSpectrum.org will host APHL member labs' job openings enabling job candidates to apply to state and local labs directly through the Web site (http://www.JobSpectrum.org).

"These are challenging and fascinating times for public health laboratorians, so APHL is delighted with this partnership" said Scott J. Becker, Executive Director of APHL. "JobSpectrum will allow new and accomplished chemists to discover public health and public service opportunities in our state laboratories. The partnership will serve both our laboratories and our workforce, providing talented applicants to public health laboratories and allowing individuals to find jobs where they will work on the front lines, helping to protect society's health."

JobSpectrum provides online employment services to job seekers and employers in the chemical sciences field. JobSpectrum specializes in helping employers find and screen qualified job seekers in fields such as chemistry, biotechnology, environmental science, materials science, and many other related scientific disciplines. Clients include large and middle-market companies, universities, and government agencies. With 163,000 members, the American Chemical Society is the world's largest scientific society and has been a leader in offering employment services since the 1930s. For additional information, visit www.JobSpectrum.org.

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