Fact Sheet
Toxicology and Environmental Health
Information Program
The Toxicology and
Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) evolved from the Toxicology
Information Program (TIP) that was established in 1967 at the National Library of Medicine
(NLM) in response to recommendations made in the 1966 report "Handling of
Toxicological Information," prepared by the President's Science Advisory
Committee. The TIP objectives were to: (1) create automated toxicology data
banks, and (2) provide toxicology information and data services. In the
mid-1990's, the mission of TIP was expanded to include environmental health.
TEHIP, by creating, organizing, and disseminating toxicology and environmental
health information, now serves as a premier information portal for resources in
these subject areas.
TEHIP maintains a comprehensive toxicology and environmental health web site that includes access
to resources produced by TEHIP and by other government agencies and
organizations. This web site includes links to databases, bibliographies,
tutorials, and other scientific and consumer-oriented resources. TEHIP also is
responsible for the Toxicology Data
Network (TOXNET®), an integrated system of toxicology and environmental
health databases that are available free of charge on the web. The following
databases are available for searching via TOXNET:
- HSDB®
(Hazardous Substances Data Bank) is a comprehensive, scientifically reviewed,
factual database containing records for over 4,800 toxic or potentially toxic
chemicals. It contains extensive information in such areas as toxicity,
environmental fate, human exposure, chemical safety, waste disposal, emergency
handling, and regulatory requirements. The data are taken from a core set of
monographs augmented with government documents, special reports, and primary
journal literature.
- TOXLINE® is a
bibliographic database covering the biochemical, pharmacological,
physiological, and toxicological effects of drugs and other chemicals. It
contains over 3 million citations, almost all with abstracts and/or index
terms and CAS Registry Numbers. TOXLINE references are drawn from various
sources grouped into two major parts--TOXLINE Core
and TOXLINE
Special, both of which operate under versatile search engines offering a
variety of search and display capabilities.
- ChemIDplus
provides access to structure and nomenclature information for the
identification of chemical substances cited in NLM databases. The database
contains over 368,000 chemical records, of which over 235,000 include chemical
structures. A new ChemIDplus
Lite version is available for Name and RN searching without the need for
plugins or applets.
- IRIS
(Integrated Risk Information System) is an online database built by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It
contains EPA carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk assessment and
regulatory information on over 500 chemicals. The risk assessment data have
been scientifically reviewed by groups of EPA scientists and represent EPA
consensus. IRIS also contains literature references.
- ITER
contains data in support of human health risk assessments. It is compiled by
Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment
(TERA) and contains over 600 chemical records. ITER provides a comparison of
international risk assessment information in a side-by-side format and
explains differences in risk values derived by different organizations. ITER
data, focusing on hazard identification and dose-response assessment, is
extracted from each agency’s assessment and contains links to the source
documentation.
- TRI (Toxic
Chemical Release Inventory) contains information on the annual estimated
releases of toxic chemicals to the environment for the reporting years
1987-2002. This series of files is mandated by the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act and is based upon data submitted to the EPA from
industrial facilities around the country. Data include names and addresses of
the facilities, and the amount of certain toxic chemicals they release to the
air, water, or land, or transfer to waste sites. There is information on over
650 chemicals and chemical categories. Pollution prevention data is also
reported by each facility for each chemical.
- CCRIS
(Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information System) is a factual data bank
sponsored by the National Cancer
Institute. It contains evaluated data and information, derived from both
short and long-term bioassays on over 8,900 chemicals. Studies relate to
carcinogens, mutagens, tumor promoters, cocarcinogens, metabolites and
inhibitors of carcinogens.
- GENE-TOX is a
data bank created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with genetic
toxicology test results on over 3,000 chemicals. In the field of genetic
toxicology, selected mutagenicity assay systems and the source literature are
reviewed by work panels of scientific experts for each of the test systems
under evaluation, and the GENE-TOX data bank is the product of these data
review activities. Each test system in GENE-TOX has been peer reviewed and is
referenced.
- DART®/ETIC
(Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology/Environmental Teratology
Information Center) is a bibliographic database covering teratology and
developmental toxicology literature published since 1950.
The TOXNET "Multiple Databases" option allows for simultaneous searching of
HSDB, IRIS, CCRIS, and GENE-TOX.
In addition to TOXNET, other toxicology and environmental health-related web
resources available from TEHIP include:
- Tox Town is an interactive
guide to commonly encountered toxic substances, your health, and the
environment. It uses color, graphics, sounds and animation to convey
connections between chemicals, the environment, and the public's health. The
City or the Town neighborhoods are designed to provide facts on toxic
chemicals found in everyday locations, information about how the environment
can impact human health, non-technical descriptions of chemicals, links to
authoritative chemical information on the Internet, and Internet resources on
environmental health topics. Tox Town's target audience is students above
elementary-school level, educators, and the general public. It is a companion
to the extensive information in the TOXNET collection of databases that are
typically used by toxicologists and health professionals. Tox Town also offers
some resources in Spanish (http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/).
- Household
Products Database is a resource that provides information on the potential
health effects of chemicals contained in more than 4,000 common household
products used inside and around the home. The database allows users to browse
a product category, such as 'Pesticides' or 'Personal Care,' by alphabetical
listing of brand names. Products can also be searched by type, manufacturer,
product ingredient/chemical name and by health effects. The record for each
product shows the ingredients as reported in the manufacturer's Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and includes other information such as handling,
disposal, and health effects.
- Haz-Map® is an occupational
toxicology database designed primarily for health and safety professionals,
but also for consumers seeking information about the health effects of
exposure to chemicals at work. It links jobs and hazardous tasks with
occupational diseases and their symptoms. The approximately 1,000
chemicals and biological agents in the database are related to industrial
processes and other activities such as hobbies. The linkage indicates
the potential for exposure to the agents. The 180 occupational diseases
and their symptoms are associated with hazardous job tasks. This
association indicates an increased risk for significant exposure and
subsequent disease.
- TOXMAP is a web site from the
National Library of Medicine (NLM) that uses maps of the United States to show
the amount and location of toxic chemicals released into the environment. Data
is derived from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which provides information on the
releases of toxic chemicals into the environment as reported annually by
industrial facilities around the United States.
- ALTBIB Since 1992,
TEHIP has produced the quarterly bibliography of methods and procedures
helpful in supporting the development, testing, application, and validation of
alternatives to the use of vertebrates in biomedical research and toxicology
testing. These multiple bibliographies of Alternatives to the Use of Live
Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing have now been combined into one
easily searchable database containing all 10 years of data.
- DIRLINE®. DIRLINE (Directory of
Information Resources Online) is an online directory of over 8,400
health-related organizations and other resources which are willing to respond
to public inquiries in their specialty areas, including toxicology and
environmental health organizations.
TEHIP is part of the Specialized
Information Services (SIS) Division of NLM. SIS is responsible for
information resources and services in toxicology, environmental health,
chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and specialized topics in minority health. SIS provides
access to online databases, responds to queries, produces bibliographies and
other publications, and works with other Federal government agencies to provide
health information to the world. For more detailed information about SIS
programs, please see our most recent annual report.
Further Information
Inquiries about the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program
should be addressed to:
National Library of Medicine
Specialized Information Services
Two
Democracy Plaza, Suite 510
6707 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 5467
Bethesda, MD
20892-5467
Telephone: (301) 496-1131
FAX (301) 480-3537
e-mail: tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov
URL: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/Tox/ToxMain.html
For
general information on NLM services, contact:
National Library of Medicine
Customer Service
8600 Rockville
Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Telephone: 1-888-FINDNLM
(1-888-346-3656)
e-mail: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/contacts/contact.html
A complete list of NLM Fact Sheets is available
at:
(alphabetical list) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/factsheets.html
(subject
list): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/factsubj.html
Or
write to:
FACT SHEETS
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National
Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20894
Phone: (301) 496-6308
Fax: (301) 496-4450
email: publicinfo@nlm.nih.gov