Fact Sheet
TOXNET®: Toxicology Data Network
TOXNET
(TOXicology
Data NETwork) is a cluster of databases covering toxicology,
hazardous chemicals, environmental health and related areas. It
is managed by the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information
Program (TEHIP) in the Division of Specialized Information
Services (SIS) of the National Library
of Medicine (NLM). TOXNET provides free access to and easy
searching of the following databases:
Toxicology Databases
- HSDB® (Hazardous Substances Data
Bank)
- A factual database focusing on the toxicology of over 5,000
potentially hazardous chemicals. In addition to toxicity data,
HSDB provides information in the areas of emergency handling
procedures, industrial hygiene, environmental fate, human
exposure, detection methods, and regulatory requirements. The
data are fully referenced and peer-reviewed by a Scientific
Review Panel composed of expert scientists.
- IRIS (Integrated Risk Information
System)
- A database from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) containing carcinogenic
and non-carcinogenic health risk information on over 500
chemicals. IRIS risk assessment data has been scientifically
reviewed by EPA scientists and represents EPA consensus.
- ITER (International Toxicity
Estimates for Risk)
- This database contains data in support of human health risk
assessments. It is compiled by Toxicology Excellence
for Risk Assessment (TERA) and contains over 650 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.
- CCRIS (Chemical Carcinogenesis
Research Information System).
- A scientifically evaluated and fully referenced data bank,
developed and maintained by the National Cancer
Institute (NCI). It contains over 9,000 chemical records with
carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, tumor promotion, and tumor
inhibition test results. Data are derived from studies cited in
primary journals, current awareness tools, NCI reports, and other
special sources. Test results have been reviewed by experts in
carcinogenesis and mutagenesis.
- GENE-TOX
(Genetic Toxicology)
- A toxicology database created by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) containing genetic toxicology test
results on over 3,200 chemicals. Selected literature was reviewed
by scientific experts for each of the test systems under
evaluation; the results are represented in GENE-TOX.
- Tox Town®
- 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 Town,
City, Farm, U.S. Mexico Border and Port 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
- This database provides information on the potential health
effects of chemicals contained in more than 8,000 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®
- 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 and
biologicals at work. It links jobs and hazardous tasks with
occupational diseases and their symptoms. The 1,595 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
224 occupational diseases and their symptoms are associated with
hazardous job tasks. This association indicates an increased risk
for significant exposure and subsequent disease.
- TOXMAP®
- 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.
- LactMed
(Drugs and Lactation)
- A database of drugs and other chemicals to which
breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. It includes information on
the levels of such substances in breast milk and infant blood,
and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant.
Statements of the American Academy of Pediatrics concerning a
drug’s compatibility with breastfeeding are provided, as
are suggested therapeutic alternatives to those drugs where
appropriate. All data are derived from the scientific literature
and fully referenced.
- CPDB
(Carcinogenic Potency Database)
- This database was developed at the University of California,
Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. It provides
standardized analyses of the results of 6540 chronic, long-term
animal cancer tests that have been conducted since the 1950's and
reported in the general published literature or by the National Cancer Institute and the
National Toxicology
Program.
The TOXNET "Multiple Databases" option allows for simultaneous
searching of HSDB, IRIS, CCRIS, and GENE-TOX.
Toxicology Literature
- TOXLINE®
- A bibliographic database providing comprehensive coverage of
the biochemical, pharmacological, physiological, and
toxicological effects of drugs and other chemicals from 1965 to
the present. TOXLINE contains over 3 million citations, almost
all with abstracts and/or index terms and CAS Registry
Numbers.
- DART®/ETIC
(Development and Reproductive Toxicology/Environmental Teratology
Information Center)
- A bibliographic database covering literature on reproductive
and developmental toxicology. DART is managed by NLM and funded
by the EPA, the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and NLM.
DART/ETIC contains references to reproductive and developmental
toxicology literature published since 1965.
- Toxics Release
Inventory (TRI)
- A series of databases that describe the releases of toxic
chemicals into the environment annually for the 1987-2007
reporting years. TRI is mandated by the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act and is based on data submitted to the
EPA from industrial facilities throughout the U.S. These data
include the names and addresses of those facilities, and the
amounts of certain toxic chemicals they release to the air,
water, or land, or transfer to waste sites. Information is
included on over 650 chemicals and chemical categories. Pollution
prevention data are also reported by each facility for each
chemical. There were two changes to reporting requirements for the 2006 data. Facilities were required to submit appropriate North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes rather than the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes previously used. To do trends analysis, EPA assigned NAICS codes to prior years’ data, so now both SIC codes and NAICS codes are searchable on TOXNET. EPA also expanded Form A eligibility to include PBT chemicals in 2006.
Chemical Information
- ChemIDplus®
- A database providing access to structure and nomenclature
authority databases used for the identification of chemical
substances cited in NLM databases. ChemIDplus contains over
384,000 chemical records, of which over 294,000 include chemical
structures. ChemIDplus is searchable by Name, Synonym, CAS
Registry Number, Molecular Formula, Classification Code, Locator
Code, Structure, and/or Physical properties. Enhanced structure display is available in ChemIDplus Advanced.
Web Access/Searching
TOXNET databases are accessible free of charge at: http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov
TOXNET's web interface is designed as an easy way to search
databases of varying formats and content. It can be used to
locate toxicology data, literature references, and toxic release
information on particular chemicals as well as to search to
identify chemicals that cause specific effects. TOXNET offers a
variety of ways to display and sort information. Its
"Multi-Databases" feature provides an integrated search of any or
all of several databases (HSDB, IRIS, CCRIS, GENE-TOX, ITER,
LactMed). Its "Search All Databases" feature provides a list of
TOXNET databases in which a search term is found, each paired
with the retrieval record count and with links to the Search
Results page of those databases.
Links are available from TOXNET to PubMed®, NLM's free web
interface to the world's biomedical literature, and to additional
sources of toxicological information.
Further Information
For detailed information on TOXNET, contact:
Specialized Information Services
National Library of Medicine
Two Democracy Plaza, Suite 510
6707 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 5467
Bethesda, MD 20892-5467
Telephone: (301) 496-1131
e-mail:
tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov
URL:
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov
For general information on the Library's computerized
information services, including TOXNET, contact:
National Library of Medicine
Customer Service
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Telephone: 1-888-FINDNLM (1-888-346-3656)
e-mail: custserv@nlm.nih.gov
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