Ciit History
Creating a Toxicology Research Institute in the 1970s
Visionary leaders of 11 major chemical companies in the United States created the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology in 1974 to address growing concerns about the effects of chemicals on environmental and human health. Alarming reports about chemical pollution were threatening to overshadow the enormous benefits of chemicals to society, and industry's biggest challenge during that era was to overcome lack of knowledge about the health effects of chemicals. In reminiscing about the creation of CIIT, founding Board member Dr. James Mathis wrote, "The excitement, the sense of involvement with something important, and the feeling of pride that we were doing what needed to be done were all there" (CIIT: The Jewel of the Industry, 1985).
CIIT was incorporated in Delaware in 1974. During the next two years, the Founding Board of Directors added more chemical companies to the original 11 members, recruited a president, and selected Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, as the site of its new institute. CIIT began operations in 1976 in the former Corning Glass facility and moved to its permanent location at 6 Davis Drive in May 1979.
Dr. Leon Golberg, an internationally known toxicologist who had founded and headed the British Industrial Biological Research Association, was chosen as the first President of CIIT. Under his leadership from 1976 until his retirement in 1981, CIIT established its reputation for independent research on the effects of chemicals and overcame skeptics who did not believe that an industry-sponsored research institute could conduct, as CIIT's motto proclaimed, "Science in the Public Interest." During this period, CIIT reported significant results from research on benzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, terephthalic acid, ethylene, toluene, and formaldehyde.
Expanding CIIT's Research Focus in the 1980s
Dr. Robert A. Neal, who was Director of the Center in Environmental Toxicology and Professor of Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, was appointed CIIT's second President in 1981. Dr. Neal was a leader in studying the biochemical mechanisms by which chemicals act in living systems, and he expanded CIIT's research emphasis beyond chemical testing to mechanistic research. He led CIIT through a severe recession in the world chemical industry during the early 1980s. In spite of the economy, Dr. Neal was able to significantly strengthen the scientific staff during his seven-year presidency. The growing recognition of CIIT science for its quality and relevance helped earn a seat at the policy-making table for the institute.
Integrating Research and Risk Assessment in the 1990s
Dr. Roger O. McClellan, who was President and Director of the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was recruited to be CIIT's third President in 1988. During his tenure, Dr. McClellan was a leader in promoting the use of sound science in assessments of risk to human health from exposure to chemicals, and he fostered worldwide collaborations with scientists in academic institutions and government. He added a state-of-the-art inhalation facility in 1997.
Dr. McClellan was President during the formation of CIIT's research alliance with the American Chemistry Council. In January 1999, the Council's Board of Directors approved a Long-Range Research Initiative (LRI) to sponsor research on the health and environmental effects of chemicals. CIIT's core research program is now funded through the LRI.
Moving into the 21st Century
Dr. William F. Greenlee, Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, was appointed President in 1999 as CIIT entered the final stages of its transition from an institute primarily sponsored by CIIT member companies to an organization receiving its major funding from member companies of the American Chemistry Council. Dr. Greenlee, who is widely recognized for his contributions to research and education in molecular toxicology, has refocused CIIT's research vision on the key human health issues of global concern, restructured CIIT's core research program using a systems biology approach, and developed a multifaceted approach to funding. In keeping with Dr. Greenlee's vision, the institute changed its name in December 2000 to the CIIT Centers for Health Research.
The CIIT Founding Board of Directors, 1975:
(front, left to right) James C. Rowland, Jr., Union Carbide Corporation; Richard Fleming, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.; M. E. Pruitt, The Dow Chemical Company; R. W. McBurney, Diamond Shamrock Chemical Company; (back) James F. Mathis, Exxon Chemical Company; Paul F. Deisler, Jr., Shell Chemical Company; Edward W. Callahan, Allied Chemical Corporation; William R. Galloway, Jr., E. I. du Pont & Nemours, Inc.; William L. Sutton, Eastman Kodak Company; Monte C. Throdahl, Monsanto Company; and E. C. Galloway, Stauffer Chemical Company.