Partner and Other Environmental Medicine Resources

Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units

The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) is a North American network of academically based medical experts in children’s environmental health who are available to assist health-care professionals, parents, or other child caregivers. The PEHSU network provides information on prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of health effects from environmental exposures in children. PEHSU staff works with federal, state, and local agencies to address children’s environmental health issues in homes, schools, and communities. For more information and access to PEHSU, please visit http://www.pehsu.net

Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics

The nonprofit Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC) promote the practice of occupational and environmental medicine. Strategies for improving clinic operations and preventing illness, and assistance in identifying or reporting environmental health hazards are among the services AOEC provides. In addition, AOEC keeps member clinics informed of techniques regarding environmentally-related diagnoses and treatment, patient care, workplace monitoring, and data collection for research. With support and funding from ATSDR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AOEC has also established a series of Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs). For more information and access to AOEC, please visit http://www.aoec.org/

American College of Medical Toxicology

The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is a nonprofit organization that promotes medical toxicology by, among other things, extending to its associates emergency, consultation, forensic, legal, and community/industrial services. ACMT members include physicians certified through the American Board of Medical Toxicology (ABMT) or the American Board of Medical Specialties. Associates can also gain additional knowledge and experience through participation in a number of activities such as the annual North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology, ACMTnet (Internet listserv), Internet Journal of Medical Toxicology (IJMT-Internet based electronic journal), and the expansion of medical toxicology practice through public policy and fellowship opportunities. An ATSDR grant has enabled ACMT to establish the Program to Build Capacity to Conduct Environmental Medicine and Health Education Activities. The grant also assists ACMT in providing courses in environmental medicine and environmental toxicology, national education and consultations, Internet-based educational resources — including the Toolbox for Public Health Response — and peer reviews for ATSDR’s Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM). For more information and access to ACMT, please visit http://www.acmt.net/

National Library of Medicine Specialized Information Services

Specialized Information Services (SIS) is a division within the National Library of Medicine (NLM). SIS supplies information and services relating to environmental health and toxicology, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and minority health. SIS users can search the SIS site by topic, user, database, and listserv. SIS provides a variety of environmental health databases.

• TOXNET- Collection of environmental health and toxicology databases including the Hazardous Substance Data Bank (HSBD), TOXLINE, and ChemIDplus
• TOXMAP- Map of hazardous sites located within the United States
• WISER (PDA-based) – Database designed to assist first responders as they respond to and assess sudden or accidental hazardous substance events
• HAZMAP – Database that links potential harmful occupations with any related environmentally induced disease
• DIRLINE- Directory of health and biomedicine resources
• Health Hotlines- Listing of toll-free numbers for environmental, health-related associations

In addition, SIS supplies a database for toxicology needs and concerns. TOXTown is an interactive Web site designed to provide information on common toxic chemicals and environmental issues. Within TOXTown, the Household Products Database gives consumers information on potentially hazardous chemicals associated with common household products. For more information and access to the SIS division of NLM, please visit http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro.html.