Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
 
CONTENTS
About DT
DT Responsibilities
DT Products and Services
Fact Sheets
ATSDR RESOURCES
ToxFAQs
ToxFAQs™ en Español
Public Health Statements
Toxicological Profiles
Minimum Risk Levels
MMGs
MHMIs
Interaction Profiles
Priority List of Hazardous Substances
Division of Toxicology

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology

Christopher T. De Rosa, Ph.D., Director
 

The Division of Toxicology (DT) performs an integral function in meeting the ATSDR mandates by participating in policy development for environmental health-related issues and in supporting scientific and technical projects within ATSDR, as well as in other federal agencies. The primary goal of DT is to serve as a resource for information and assistance regarding toxic substances in the environment.

As mandated by CERCLA, the Division (1) identifies and publishes a priority list of substances of greatest concern at National Priorities List (NPL) sites; (2) coordinates all activities and database development associated with preparing toxicological profiles for the NPL hazardous substances; and (3) ensures the initiation of research PDF File for Substance-Specific Applied Research Program Fact Sheet (File Size 153k) (file size 155k) designed to determine the health effects of identified hazardous substances for which information is currently considered inadequate. As part of an Agency-wide HazDAT database effort, the Division is responsible for coordinating the integration of the aforementioned information into HazDAT.

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Other Division of Toxicology Responsibilities
  • providing emergency response coordination operations assistance on a 24-hour basis on public health issues relating to the release or threat of release of hazardous substances. The 24-hour number is 404-498-0120;
  • providing substance-specific consultations (toxicological expertise) to state and federal agencies as well as to the general public;
  • coordinating ATSDR toxicology activities with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US National Toxicology Program, and other international, federal, state, local and public programs;
  • developing innovative methods and protocols to guide and support NCEH/ATSDR health authorities, including public health assessments, health studies, and consultations;
  • implementing a program of research to assess human health effects of water pollutants in the Great Lakes basin; and
  • establishing minimal risk levels (MRLs) for hazardous substances. An MRL is a scientific estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse non-cancerous health effects over a specified duration of exposure.
  • Investigating human health effects of chemical mixtures.

The Division of Toxicology is organized into a Director’s office and three branches, which are as follows:

The Emergency Response and Scientific Assessment Branch is charged with

  • coordinating all activities that identify, evaluate, and prioritize hazardous substances publicized in the National Priority List of Hazardous Substances;
  • coordinating workgroup activities that lead to deriving MRLs and other health-based guidelines;
  • coordinating activities that lead to development of the hazardous substances component of ATSDR’s Hazardous Substance Release/Health Effects Database;
  • performing chemical consultations;
  • conducting emergency preparedness and response activities; and
  • developing the medical management guidelines (the MHMIs) for use by physicians and other healthcare professionals engaged in treating people exposed to hazardous substances.

The Research Implementation Branch is charged with

  • developing, implementing, and coordinating a program of research PDF File for Substance-Specific Applied Research Program Fact Sheet (File Size 153k) (file size 155k) to determine the health effects of hazardous substances;
  • providing expertise in evaluating research priorities and in supporting the overall toxicology program of the division;
  • administering ATSDR-sponsored projects that result from substance-specific programs PDF File for Substance-Specific Applied Research Program Fact Sheet (File Size 153k) (file size 155k) of applied research, including voluntary research PDF File for Voluntary Research Program Fact Sheet (File Size 112k) (file size 112k) with industry and university-based research PDF File for Cooperative Program with the Minority Health Profession Foundation Fact Sheet (File Size 333k) (file size 333k) with minority health profession schools;
  • implementing a program of research to characterize the association between consuming contaminated Great Lakes Fish and the potential for harmful health effects; and
  • developing and applying computational toxicology PDF File for Computational Toxicology Laboratory Fact Sheet (File Size 145k) (file size 145k) models to determine and characterize risks from exposure to hazardous substances.

The Toxicology Information Branch is charged with

  • coordinating all activities to develop, peer review, produce, and distribute toxicological profiles (which interpret all known information on specific hazardous substances), ToxFAQs™ and ToxFAQs™ en Español, and public health statements (in English and Español);
  • coordinating child health as they relate to developing toxicological profiles and ToxFAQs™ and ToxFAQs™ en Español;
  • developing and producing toxicological resource information for distribution via printed documents, the World Wide Web, and CD-ROMs;
  • maintaining docket files for all toxicological profiles, including cited references and other profile documentation;
  • coordinating profile development activities (over 150 profiles developed to date) with the US Environmental Protections Agency (EPA), the National Toxicology Program, and other appropriate federal, state, and local government programs;
  • maintaining the mailing lists used for distribution of toxicological profiles to a diverse audience.

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Division of Toxicology Products and Services
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Fact Sheets

Substance-Specific Applied Research Program PDF File for Substance-Specific Applied Research Program Fact Sheet (File Size 153k)155k

Voluntary Research Program PDF File for Voluntary Research Program Fact Sheet (File Size 112k)112k

Cooperative Program with the Minority Health Profession Foundation PDF File for Cooperative Program with the Minority Health Profession Foundation Fact Sheet (File Size 333k)333k

Computational Toxicology Laboratory PDF File for Computational Toxicology Laboratory Fact Sheet (File Size 145k)145k


ATSDR Information Center / ATSDRIC@cdc.gov / 1-888-422-8737

This page was updated on June 14, 2004