CAMEO Chemicals

Over the past two decades, the CAMEO (Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations) software suite has brought first responders from an era in which they gleaned emergency response information from maps and reference books spread out on the hoods of their trucks to a time when up-to-date, comprehensive information on chemical plumes, toxicity risks, and susceptibility of chemical mixtures to burn or explode can be displayed with a few strokes on a computer keyboard. CAMEO Chemicals is the latest addition to this innovative software line.

CAMEO Chemicals is an online, easier-to-use version of the most popular components of the CAMEO program: the chemical database and the reactivity prediction tool.

Key Program Features

• Extensive Chemical Database: CAMEO Chemicals uses the same chemical database as CAMEO, which contains response recommendations for over 6,000 chemicals. The database also contains over 100,000 chemical synonyms and identification numbers, which aid emergency responders in identifying unknown substances during an incident.
  
• Critical Response Information: The revised search engine and new ranking order for search results makes finding chemicals easier. Data sheets on each chemical provide physical properties, health hazards, information about air and water hazards, and recommendations for firefighting, first aid, and spill response.
  
• Chemical Reactivity: This tool predicts what hazards could arise if chemicals were to mix.

CAMEO Chemicals was developed by NOAA in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Web site is maintained by NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration.

How is CAMEO Chemicals different from CAMEO?

CAMEO Chemicals contains a lot of the same information as the CAMEO program, but the interface has a revised look and feel. However, there are some key differences between the programs:

• CAMEO Chemicals runs online, and CAMEO needs to be downloaded and installed on a personal computer.
  
• CAMEO Chemicals ranks search results in a new way--making it easier to find a particular chemical quickly when many chemicals in the database match the search criteria.
  
• CAMEO Chemicals data sheets can be bookmarked for faster access to information about frequently referenced chemicals.
  
• CAMEO can interact directly with ALOHA (a hazard modeling program) and MARPLOT (an electronic mapping program).
  
• CAMEO also offers modules designed to help planners meet the requirements of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).

Both CAMEO and CAMEO Chemicals are available at no cost, so responders and planners can use whichever program meets their needs.