Frederick Passman, Ph.D., president of Biodeterioration Control Associates Inc. in Princeton, N.J., has received the ASTM International Award of Merit from Committee E34 on Occupational Health and Safety. The Award of Merit and its accompanying title of fellow is ASTM’s highest organizational recognition for distinguished service and outstanding participation in ASTM technical committee activities. 

Passman, who currently serves as E34 vice chairman, was honored by the committee for his outstanding leadership and contributions to standards for the safety of workers and the scientific practice of microbiology. He has been chairman of Subcommittee E34.50 on Health and Safety Standards for Metal Working Fluids since 2006, and has been instrumental in developing more than 50 standards on microbiology as applied to real world issues, including the health and safety of workers in the metal trades.

A member of ASTM International since 1977, Passman also serves on Committee D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels and Lubricants, where he is vice chairman of D02.14 on Stability and Cleanliness of Liquid Fuels, as well as D18 on Soil and Rock, D19 on Water and E35 on Pesticides, Antimicrobials and Alternative Control Agents. Other awards received include an Award of Excellence and Award of Achievement from D02 and a 25-Year Service Award from E35.

A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H., where he received a doctorate in marine microbiology, Passman served in the United States Navy (active and reserves) for more than 30 years, commanding six successive Naval reserve units and receiving four Navy Commendation Medals before retiring as a captain in 1998. Passman founded Biodeterioration Control Associates in 1992 to provide consulting expertise for microbial contamination control in industrial systems. He has represented clients such as ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical Co., the National Biodiesel Board, New York City Transit Authority, Northwestern University and Rohm & Haas Co., among others. He also serves as associate editor for the journal International Biodegradation and Biodeterioration and magazine Tribology and Lubrication Technology.

Outside ASTM International, Passman is a fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers and a member of the American Society for Microbiology, International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Society, Military Officers Association, National Association of Corrosion Engineers, Naval Order of the United States, Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, and the United States Naval Institute.

ASTM PR Contact: Erin K. Brennan, Phone: 610-832-9602; ebrennan@astm.org

Release #9489