Government

General Information Sites

Find US Federal Agencies and Organizations

Federal Web Locator (http://www.lib.auburn.edu/madd/docs/fedloc.html)
Provides quick links to federal government Web sites. Browse by federal branch, independent agencies, boards, commissions, committees and quasi-official agencies.

USA.gov (http://www.firstgov.gov)
The official gateway to all government information from federal and state governments, the District of Columbia and US territories. Organized by audience (citizen, business, federal employees, government to government) and by agencies. The reference page offers quick links to forms, historical documents, laws, statistics, etc.

Google Unclesam (http://www.google.com/unclesam)
The search engine provides a quick way to retrieve Web sites from local, state and federal government organizations.

United States Government Manual (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html)
As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees.

Government Statistics

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Statistical and Factual Information from the US Government

FedStats (http://www.fedstats.gov/)
Gateway to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies. Search by agency, geographic region or topic.

National Center for Health Statistics (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/)
A program of the CDC, the NCHS is the source for Vital Health Statistics. (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm) A statistical summary of birth, mortality and other data on hundreds of alphabetically listed topics is provided by FastStats A-Z (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/Default.htm) . They also publish the annual Health, United States series. The most recent edition is available here. (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm)

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2002 (http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-02.html)
Data on social, economic, health, justice and manufacturing conditions in the United States. Data is derived from statistics kept by the Census Bureau, other federal agencies and private organizations.

Health and Environmental Agencies

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United States

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/)
An arm of the Centers for Disease Control, the ATSDR is responsible for public health assessments of waste sites, health consultations concerning specific hazardous substances, health surveillance and registries and response to emergency releases of hazardous substances. They publish ToxFAQs (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html) , the Minimum Risk Levels (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mrls.html) , Toxicological Profiles (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxpro2.html) , and the HazDat database. (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hazdat.html)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (http://www.cdc.gov/)
Promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability. Good source of government reports (http://www.cdc.gov/publications.htm) on health topics ranging from aging and arthritis to hormone replacement therapy and tobacco. Health Topics A to Z (http://origin.cdc.gov/az.do) is a useful starting point for basic information on conditions, infectious diseases, drugs and other health issues.

Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.hhs.gov/)
Consumer-oriented health information on diseases and conditions, safety and wellness, drug and food information, grants and funding, policies and regulations and health of specific populations.

• HealthFinder (http://beta.healthfinder.gov/)
  Sponsored by DHHS, this consumer-oriented site is a gateway to health information offered by government and non-profit organizations. The Health Library offers information on disease and wellness. Just for You targets special groups. Health Care encompasses information about doctors, hospitals, insurance, etc.
• Healthy People 2010 (http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/tableofcontents.htm)
  Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health, outlines the government’s objectives to improve the nation’s health based on key indicators: physical activity, tobacco and substance abuse, obesity, mental health and environmental quality, among others. Full-text of the reports are available.

US Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.epa.gov/)
The US EPA offers a wealth of information resources (http://www.epa.gov/epahome/resource.htm) in the form of hotlines and clearinghouses (National Response Center), newsletters (Chemicals in our Community), databases (Envirofacts, IRIS), test methods and models and publications.

• National Environmental Publications Information System (NEPIS) (http://www.epa.gov/nepis/)
  Offers online access to the full-text of more than 10,000 EPA documents.

Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov/)
The FDA is responsible for regulating food, drugs, medical devices, biologics, animal feed, cosmetics and radiation-emitting products.

• Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (http://www.fda.gov/cder/)
  This department of the FDA publishes the Electronic Orange Book, (http://www.fda.gov/cder/ob/default.htm) which lists FDA-approved drug products on the basis of safety and effectiveness.

National Health Information Center (http://www.health.gov/nhic/)
A clearinghouse and referral service designed to put health professionals and consumers with health questions in touch with more than 1,800 government and non-profit organizations that disseminate health information. Search by keyword and geographic location.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.nih.gov/)
The goal of NIH research is to acquire new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose and treat disease and disability, from the rarest genetic disorder to the common cold.

• Grants and Funding Opportunities (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/index.cfm)
  get information about grant and fellowship programs, assistance with preparing Requests for Proposals, and official guidance for announcing grant opportunities.
• Scientific Resources (http://www.nih.gov/science/)
  Join special interest groups, get assistance with animal care and use, access molecular biology tools, and review bioethics policy.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)  (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/)
NIEHS seeks to understand the nature of disease and illness due to the interplay of environmental agents, individual susceptibility and age factors. Also available are the National Toxicology Program publications (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/) providing access to the NTP’s toxicity and carcinogenesis studies.

National Science Foundation (NSF) (http://www.nsf.gov/start.htm)
The NSF encompasses a range of research on biology, education, engineering, environmental research, geosciences and social sciences. Good source of statistics (http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm) on research and development expenditures, facilities and funding; human resource data related to number of science students and PhD graduates; and science and engineering indicators.

Reports of the Surgeon General (http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/NN/)
Source of full-text official reports, conference and workshop reports and proceedings from the Office of the Surgeon General.

International

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) (http://www.ccohs.ca/)
Promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing information and advice about occupational health and safety. They offer an informative OSH Answers service, (http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/) providing question-and-answer documents on various workplace hazards: biological, chemical, ergonomic and physical (like noise and radiation), as well as information on disorders, safety, legislation and health and safety programs.

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (http://www.iarc.fr/)
IARC’s mission is to coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and to develop scientific strategies for cancer control. The agency is involved in both epidemiological and laboratory research and disseminates scientific information through publications, meetings, courses and fellowships. IARC publishes two key reports: IARC Monographs Programme on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans (http://monographs.iarc.fr/) and Cancer Mondial, (http://www-dep.iarc.fr/) showing cancer incidence world-wide.

World Health Organization (WHO) (http://www.who.int/en/)
Information related to research and education on disease, wellness and prevention measures throughout the world. Useful resources include:

• Countries: (http://www.who.int/country/en/)
  Health and wellness statistics (indicators, health expenditures, health coverage, specific conditions) organized alphabetically by country.
• Health Topics: (http://www.who.int/health_topics/en/)
  Alphabetical topic access to information on WHO projects, initiatives, activities, information products and contacts.
• WHOLIS: (http://dosei.who.int)
  Index to all WHO publications dating back to 1948, and technical documents starting in 1985.
• WHOSIS: (http://www3.who.int/whosis/menu.cfm)
  Guide to epidemiological and statistical information on burden of disease, mortality, etc.

Law and Regulatory Information

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The 2005-2006 Congressional Directory (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/)
The Congressional Directory is the official directory of the U.S. Congress. It provides short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, as well as their committee memberships, terms of service, administrative staff, and room and telephone numbers. In addition, the Directory lists officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies, including D.C. government officials, among others.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html)
The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis.

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (http://www.arnet.gov/far/)
The government’s uniform policies and procedures for acquiring goods and services by all executive agencies.

Federal Business Opportunities (http://www.fedbizopps.gov/)
The government’s main gateway for federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Search by keyword, agency, procurement classification code or date.

FindLaw (http://www.findlaw.com/)
Comprehensive portal to locating both federal and state codes, statutes, regulations and case law.

GPO Access (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/multidb.html)
The Government Printing Office’s portal to all GPO documents, including the Code of Federal Regulations, Congressional Record, Federal Register, US Code, etc.

Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet (http://thomas.loc.gov/)
A service of the Library of Congress, it provides ready access to legislative bills and public laws, Congressional committee reports and the Congressional Record. Historical documents (http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdoxmainpg.html) such as the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution and the Bill of Rights are also available.