WebWISER
Substances
Identify
Tools
Help
WISER Help
About WebWISER
Version
Disclaimer
Browser Configuration
Overview
Concepts
Known Substances
Unknown Chemical Substances
Screens
Known Substance Screen
Substance Data Screen
Help Identify Screen
Tools
WebWISER Version
Web Application Version: 4.2.59
Web Services Version: 4.2.65
Database Version: 4.2.16
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Disclaimer
The U.S. Government does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed.It is not the intention of NLM to provide specific medical advice to the public, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health.
NLM does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, process, or services.
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Browser Configuration
Following are browser configuration settings that are required
for proper display of certain content in WebWISER. On certain
mobile browsers, such as on the BlackBerry platform, they may not
be enabled by default.
- HTML tables
- Style sheets
- Images
Note that the use of images by this mobile version of WebWISER is
intentionally very limited. However, failure to enable images will
result in the display of otherwise hidden links for skipping
navigation that are intended to support screen readers.
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Overview
The Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER) provides
information on hazardous substances to First Responders. For a known substance,
WISER allows the user to quickly find it using the name, an alias for
it, or one of the numerical designations for it. WISER then provides
information on hazardous materials response, physical properties, medical
treatment, environmental effects, and much more. If the name or number of the
substance is not known, WISER allows the user to enter characteristics of the
substance to help identify it.
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Known Substances
Often, the substance at a hazardous materials incident has been identified.
Identification can be through labels on containers, shipping papers, associated
MSDS's, or from knowledgeable personnel. The identifying information for the
substance can be the name, one of many alternative names, or a
numerical designation for it. WISER provides the ability to select the
substance based on any of this identifying information. WISER only contains
limited trade names of substances due to the very large number of them.
For the known substance, WISER provides information from five categories of
information: Basic, Physical Properties, Hazmat, Medical, and Environmental.
Even if a substance has been identified, the user should verify that the
identification is correct. WISER aids in this by providing a summary of
physical identifying characteristics, symptoms associated with exposure to
the substance, substance classifications/categories, and NFPA 704
placard information.
For additional details on using WISER to look up known substances, see the
help for the Known Substance Screen.
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Unknown Chemical Substances
If a chemical can not been identified, WISER will aid in
identifying it by allowing the user to specify criteria from the following:
- physical properties
- symptoms from exposure to the substance
- substance categories/classifications
- NFPA 704 placard values
- transportation placard and/or transport container type
As criteria are selected, the substances that do not match all of the selections
are removed from the search. This allows a user to narrow down the list of possible substances.
Once the user has reduced the number of possible substances, the results screen
will list the remaining substances. The list can be grouped by the identifying
criteria and sorted by name or numeric identifiers. Substances that the
user knows do not match can be removed from the list (and brought back later).
The remaining substances represent a short list of substances
that the user can use to perform more diagnostic testing or other means of
identification.
For additional details on using WISER to identify unknown chemicals,
see the help for the Help Identify Screen.
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Known Substance Screen
Selecting the Substances link from the menu bar display the Known Substance Screen,
from which a known substance can be selected to view its data on the Substance Data Screen.
Locate a substance by paging through the list, or enter text in the Search By
text box and press the Search button. The list is filtered to contain only those
substances that match the entered text. A * can be entered as a wildcard character,
and is always assumed at the end of the input text. When the desired substance is
located, click it to view the Substance Data Screen.
Use the 'Search By' options to control the ordering of the substance list. The
default, 'Name', orders the substances alphabetically and includes substance
aliases as well as the core names.
The other 'Search By' options sort the substances by numeric identifiers,
including UN/NA, CAS Registry, and STCC numbers.
By default, the substance list includes all substances
in WISER. By using the links at the top of the page, the substance list
can be reduced to only chemicals, radiologicals, or biologicals. Or,
the 'Substances, Filtered by Category' option can be used to create a list
that includes substances from selected categories. When this
option has been selected, an "Edit Filter" button appears. Press it
to display a page from which the desired categories can be selected.
Upon submitting the selections, the substance list will contain all
substances that are included in any of the selected categories.
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Substance Data Screen
The Substance Data Screen appears after selecting a substance from the Known Substance Screen or the
Results Screen. If an alias of the substance is selected, it is shown below the
substance name. The Data Screen allows you to select and view all available
information about the substance.
The Data Menu Screen first shows list of the categories of data
available for the substance. Below the list is the Key Info, a summary of the
most immediate and critical information about the substance. To see additional
data on the substance, select a data category to drill down into the individual
data items.
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Help Identify Screen
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Help Identify Intro
The Identify link accesses the Help Identify functionality for identifying
unknown chemicals. It allows you to narrow down a list of possible
substances based on any or all of the following criteria: physical properties,
symptoms of exposed patients, classifications/categories of the substance, full or
partial NFPA 704 placard values, and transport type
(DOT placard and/or rail car or road trailer used for transport).
The progress of the search is displayed
as a count of the matching substances in the "Show Results" link near the top of the screen.
For example, "Show Results: 20 of 415" indicates 20 substances remain out of a
maximum 415. As you enter search criteria, the count will get smaller, showing the reduction
in the number of substances that remain. Selecting the "Show Results" link navigates
to the Results Screen where that list of substances can be viewed and analyzed. This list
will include only those substances that match ALL of the entered search criteria.
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Properties
The Properties link allows you to enter physical properties of the unknown
substance. Select a property category, such as State. This results in a list
of property options in that category, along with the number of remaining substances
that match each option. To make a selection, select the "Add" link the precedes it.
The list of property categories are again displayed, including an indication of the
selections that have been made. To unselect a property, return to the list of
options for that category, and select the "Remove" link that precedes the property.
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Symptoms
The Symptoms link allows you to enter signs and symptoms resulting from exposure to the unknown
substance. Select a symptom category, such as Neurological. This results in a list
of symptom options in that category, along with the number of remaining substances
that match each option. To make a selection, select the "Add" link the precedes it.
The list of symptom categories are again displayed, including an indication of the
selections that have been made. To unselect a symptom, return to the list of
options for that category, and select the "Remove" link that precedes the symptom.
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Substance Categories
The Categories link allows for the selection of categories/classifications that can be associated
with the unknown substance, thus reducing the results list to contain only those substances
that are members of the selected substance category(ies). A list of category types
is initially displayed, and selecting one results in a list of category options, along
with the number of remaining substances that match each option.
To make a selection, select the "Add" link the precedes it. Some categories consist of
a multilevel hierarchy in which parent categories can be selected or just individual
subcategories (children). When this is the case, the name of the parent category is
displayed as a link. Either add the parent category, or select the name link to
advance to a list of the subcategories.
Following a category selection, the list of category types is again displayed,
including an indication of the
selections that have been made. To unselect a category, return to the list of
options for that category type, and select the "Remove" link that precedes the category.
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NFPA 704
The NFPA link allows you to enter hazard values from a NFPA 704 placard and thus
reduce the results list to include only the substances with matching placard
information. Select a hazard category, such as Health. This results in a list
of hazard values, along with the number of remaining substances
that match each value. To make a selection, select the "Add" link the precedes it.
The list of hazard categories are again displayed, including an indication of the
selections that have been made. To unselect a hazard value, return to the list of
options for that hazard, and select the "Remove" link that precedes the hazard.
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Transport
The Transport link allows you to indicate the DOT placard that is on the
transport vehicle of the unknown substance, and/or you can indicate the type of
rail car or road trailer carrying the substance. Click one of the Select Placard, Select Rail Car, or
Select Road Trailer links to browse a list of respective images. Upon locating the
matching placard, rail car, or road trailer image, click it to select it. The
results list will be reduced to include only those substances that match any other
criteria selections AND which could be transported under the chosen placard or in
the chosen container. Use the Clear links on the Transport screen to remove a selection.
Notes:
- There are some placards and transport containers (mixed load/cargo) that could
contain any substance, and thus will not have an impact on the results list.
- Each image contains a circled number. This indicates the guide number in the
DOT Emergency Response Guidebook that provides general guidance for responding to
incidents that involve the most hazardous substances that pertain to the placard or container.
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Results
The results list is the list of substances that match all of the criteria selections that have
been made. To view the results, select the Show Results link, which also includes an indication of the
size of the results list, for example, "Show Results: 10 of 415". At the bottom
of the results list is a Sort By option for sorting the list by name or identifying number
(UN/NA, CAS, or STCC). The Group By option can be used to group the substances by the
various criteria categories. To view data on a
substance, click on substance to display the Substance Data Screen.
Return to Help Identify Screen
Tools
In addition to substance-specific data, WISER also provides a set of tools and reference materials
not related to a specific WISER substance. These are accessed via the "Tools" link.
The available tools are organized into three submenus:
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Guidebook Tools
Guidebook tools options include the WMD Response Guidebook. This allows
for the browsing of the individual guide pages of this publication.
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Triage Procedures
Options under Triage Procedures include the START (adult) and JumpSTART (pediatric)
algorithms. These are presented with an algorithm (or flow chart) viewer
that helps the user walk through the multiple steps and decision points.
The History button allows a review of the decisions made so far, and includes links to return
to those decision points. The Preview tab provides an image of the entire algorithm.
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Radiological Tools
Options under Radiological Tools include an Onset of Vomiting Dose
Estimation tool, a Radiation Unit Converter tool, and a collection of reference documents.
Radiation Dose Estimator - Onset of Vomiting: this tool provides
a whole-body radiation dose estimate based on the time at which
the onset of vomiting occurs after exposure to radiation.
Radiation Unit Converter: this tool provides conversion between
standard and international units for various unit categories.
The radiation reference documents include emergency contacts,
initial onsite activities of a radiation incident, excerpts
from the IAEA Manual for First Responders to a Radiological Emergency, and
the complete Radiological Terrorism Emergency Management Pocket Guide for Clinicians.
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