Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) named Janis F. Stone, PhD, of Ames, IA, the 2005 recipient of its Agricultural Safety and Health Hall of Fame Award. Stone retired in September 2003 as a professor at Iowa State University and a textiles and clothing specialist with ISU Extension. She spent most of her career working with safety issues.
Janis Stone (left) receives the Hall of Fame award from I-CASH Director Kelley Donham and FS4JK founder Marilyn Adams. Stone received the award Oct. 27, 2005 during the Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health Forum in Johnston, Iowa, a two-day conference hosted by I-CASH and the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health. The award was presented by Kelley Donham, director of I-CASH. Stone’s research has focused on protective clothing for pesticides and sun exposure. She has worked in this area for 28 years and published numerous research articles in the Journal of Environmental Health, the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, and the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, among others. As a member of the North Central Region of the U.S Department of Agriculture’s research project, “Mediating Exposures to Environmental Hazards Through Textile Systems,” she has made a contribution to all farmers by helping to better understand farmers’ use of protective clothing and families’ laundering practices.
Stone’s safety-related work goes beyond research. She has integrated her research efforts into outreach programming. During the national Farm Progress Shows, she has created, organized and staffed effective farm safety education demonstrations. These include a sun cancer screening display that examined farmers for skin cancer; a sun hat survey display evaluating farmers’ options about protective sun apparel; and a chemical glove display that provided an understanding for chemical applicators. Stone’s work has changed the way Iowans and others think and act in relation to sun safety and pesticide practices. Her publications and presentations on applied research have been shared nationally and internationally. Stone was actively involved with I-CASH and served as a member of the organization’s coordinating committee for several years. She also served for several years as a member of the Pesticide Applicator Training Advisory Committee, providing expertise on proper protective clothing. She is currently completing a project to develop more comfortable, yet protective, gloves for pesticide applicators.
I-CASH created the Hall of Fame Award in 2002 as a lifetime achievement award for individuals or organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions to agricultural safety and health in Iowa.