Twenty-five years ago, to mark the beginning of a new century, I wrote an article for ISHN called “Is industrial hygiene as you know it disappearing?” Consider this column the 25th anniversary sequel. The answer is yes, industrial hygiene is disappearing — as a term not as the traditional practice.
The term “industrial hygiene” (IH) has disappeared from many job titles and company departments, replaced by “occupational hygiene” in many cases, or “environmental health.” Today in most countries around the world the profession is known as “occupational hygiene.”