Are you seeking comprehensive information to evaluate the impact of chemicals on humans and animals? Toxicity data on mutagenic or reproductive effects? Dose toxicity data? Or professional terminology to prepare a toxicology report?
The NIH Library offers access to a large collection of toxicology databases to help you find the answers. In addition to TOXNET (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov), NLM’s toxicology database collection, you will find two new resources: MedDRA (the Dictionary for Regulatory Activities) and ExPub (Expert Publishing).
MedDRA is a new international medical terminology dictionary designed to support the classification, retrieval, presentation, and communication of medical information throughout the medical product regulatory cycle. A classification tool for adverse events, it has become the standard for adverse event reporting in the U.S. MedDRA terminology applies to all phases of drug development, excluding animal toxicology. It also applies to the health effects and malfunction of devices (but does not cover "clinical nomenclature").
ExPub is an integrated resource for toxicologists, industrial hygienists, physicians, and other professionals seeking comprehensive toxic effects data. This new platform consolidates toxicology information for more than 400,000 unique substances from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Toxicology Program (NTP), the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), the U.S Department of Defense (DOD), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
RTECS, the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances, is one example of an ExPub database. It provides toxicological information on chemical substances, with data on irritation, mutation, reproductive effects, tumorigenic effects, toxicity, multiple dose, standards and regulations, and human exposure limits.
ExPub provides a single point of access and the ability to search millions of documents from 94 toxicology databases in addition to RTECS, such as:
- ATSDR: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
- CPDB: Carcinogenic Potency Database (results of chronic, long-term animal cancer tests).
- CERHR: Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction.
- CCRIS*: Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information System (chemical records with carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, tumor promotion, and inhibition test results).
- GENE-TOX*: Genetic toxicology (mutagenicity) test data.
- HSDB®*: Hazardous Substances Data Bank produced by NLM (toxicology data file that focuses on the toxicology of over 4,500 potentially hazardous chemicals).
- IARC: International Agency for Research, Cancer Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans (identifies chemicals, complex mixtures, occupational exposures, physical and biological agents, and lifestyle factors increasing the risk of human cancer).
- NIOSH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (information on IDLHs, immediately dangerous to life or health concentrations).
- National Toxicology Program: Agents, substances, mixtures, or exposure circumstances; provides access to long and short study reports on developmental and reproductive toxicity and carcinogenesis.
- REPROTOX®: Reproductive Toxicology Center (RTC) (commentaries on the potentially harmful effects of chemicals and physical agents on human pregnancy, reproduction, and development).
- TOXLINE®*: provided by NLM, a bibliographic database for toxicology that covers the biochemical, pharmacological, physiological, and toxicological effects of drugs and other chemicals.
*Databases available also through the TOXNET platform.
To access MedDRA and ExPub, go to the Databases webpage of the NIH Library website.
For more information, email nihlibrary@nih.gov or call Reference & Information Services at 301-496-1080.