Hazardous Substances Emergency
Events Surveillance (HSEES)

In October 1992, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) was awarded a cooperative agreement from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to implement an active, state-based hazardous substances emergency events surveillance (HSEES) project. The purpose of this project is to describe the public health consequences associated with spills or releases of hazardous chemicals excluding those releases involving only petroleum fuels and natural gas. The information that staff collects related to these events includes data on injuries, deaths, evacuations, and emergency decontaminations that occur within the first 24-hours from the onset of the event. Information is obtained on four segments of the population: first responders, employees, members of the general public, and students. The overall goals of the project are:

• To describe the distribution and characteristics of hazardous substances emergencies.
• To document the nature of injuries and fatalities related to these events.
• To identify risk factors associated with injuries and fatalities.
• To identify strategies that might reduce future injuries and fatalities from the release of hazardous substances.

Fifteen other states currently participate in the project, with several states beginning surveillance as early as January 1, 1990.

• the National Response Center (NRC)
• the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
• Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• local fire departments and their hazardous materials units
• hospitals
• the news media

The Texas HSEES project has legal authority to gather information relating to epidemiologic or toxicologic investigations, as stated in Title 2, Subtitle H, Chapter 161.0211, subchapter C: Epidemiologic or Toxicologic Investigations. This state law, referred to as the "Epi-Tox Law," also provides that Texas HSEES must keep all identifying information confidential. Companies and/or individuals are neither implicated nor singled out by ATSDR or TDH for scrutiny, further investigation, or punitive action. When ATSDR receives the case information, the name(s) of the responsible party(ies) are encrypted.

Using a standard data collection form, HSEES staff collects data on acute hazardous substance releases regardless of permit limits or reportable quantities.

All case investigation is performed via telephone, e-mail, or fax. Notification reports provide the basic information needed to initiate each contact or e-mail form. The telephone interview takes approximately ten minutes; completing the fax form usually takes less than ten minutes. Upon completion of the phone interview, the person interviewed receives information about the study and a copy of the State's Epi-Tox Law. This information is either faxed or mailed to the interviewee.

Information gathered is recorded on a standard data collection instrument (questionnaire) provided by ATSDR. It is from this instrument that data are then entered via a secured website into ATSDR's database. That agency analyzes the data and publishes the results in an annual report. The DSHS also disseminates analyses of Texas data through DSHS newsletters and annual reports.

Uses of TxHSEES Information

Non-identifying information collected by HSEES is useful in educating government officials, responders, and others about how, when and where chemical emergencies are likely to happen. The descriptors influencing the probable occurrence of these (and many other events impacting public health) are called "risk factors." Describing risk factors is important because this information might be useful in helping prevent future chemical emergencies, thus lowering injury and death rates when such events do occur.

Non-identifying HSEES data may potentially be shared with the following entities:

• state and local offices of emergency management
• local emergency planning committees
• public service agencies (such as emergency medical services and fire departments)
• industrial hygiene organizations
• other interested parties

In the event of any acute hazardous substance release, Texas HSEES would like to hear from you. Please contact us.

TxHSEES Reports