SIS News

TRI2002 Released
TRI2002 was released to the public on TOXNET on August 31. The new release contains 93,380 records. (10/13/2004)

1. Name, CAS RN, Classification Code, Locator and Formula searching in the original ChemIDplus format for over 368,000 substances. Over 1.3 million chemical names are available as well as over 100 Locator URLs pointing other resources pertinent to a given chemical.
2. Chemical Structure searching using the newest MDL ISISDirect software, by substructure, similarity, and individual structure.
3. Chemical Structure display using ChemAxon’s Marvin product, which generates a browser friendly png (portable network graphic) image and thus doesn’t require the Chime plugin for display.
4. Chemical Structure drawing input by the ChemAxon Marvin Java applet, editor, as well as the MDL Chime and ISISDraw combination.
5. Numeric searching by biological endpoints, including LD50 and LC50. The user may specify Test, Species, Route, and Effect, and both ranging and exact match are available.
6. Numeric chemical property search and display on eight fields such as Melting Point and Boiling Point, Water Solubility and LogP.
7. Numeric molecular weight ranging and exact search.
8. Tracking of your query history, including display of structures searched, and the capability to re-run or modify old searches during a session.
9. Much longer session times than previously available. There is now a half hour of inactivity before the session ends.

These new capabilities provide users more advanced search options and system stability, and complement the recently released ChemIDplus Lite version which does not allow structure searching. These Advanced and Lite interfaces run against the same ChemIDplus database as before, with the addition of new chemical and biological data tables to give property searching capability. (09/24/2004)

Native American Health Web Site
SIS recently launched the Native American Health Web Site, a gateway to information about issues affecting the health and well-being of American Indians. The portal brings together health and medical resources pertinent to the American Indian population including consumer health information, traditional healing, tribal web sites, environmental concerns, and disease research. Links are provided to an assortment of documents, Web sites, databases, and other resources. The web address is http://americanindianhealth.nlm.nih.gov (8/12/2004)

TOXNET's "Search All Databases" Now Includes Links to Three Additional Databases

The TOXNET "Search All Databases" function now includes results from the Household Products Database (HPD), Haz-Map, and TOXMAP.

Results for the nine core TOXNET databases continue to appear as links under the "Records Found" header.

A new "Other Related NLM Resources" header lists results from searching the "Health Effects" fields of the HPD and all text fields of Haz-Map, with "Show Me" links to the data retrieved. Results for TOXMAP appear under the "Other Related NLM Resources" header via a "Map It" link.

Please note that the number of records found from a TOXNET "Search All Databases" query may differ slightly from the results retrieved from searching the individual databases. This is due to variations in search formats required by different databases.
(7/29/2004)

WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders)
The National Library of Medicine (NLM), Division of Specialized Information Services, has released a handheld application designed to assist first responders during hazardous material incidents.

WISER provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including chemical identification support, physical characteristics, emergency medical treatment, containment and suppression information. The WISER application extracts related, relevant content from NLM's Hazardous Substance Data Bank (HSDB), an authoritative information resource.

Features

• Rapid access to the most important information for 390 hazardous substances via a PDA
• Comprehensive decision support:
  • Assistance in identification of an unknown substance and
  • Guidance on immediate actions necessary to save lives and protect the environment
• Access to NLM’s Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), which contains detailed peer-reviewed information on hazardous substances
• Mobile support, providing first responders with critical information where they need it, when they need it
• Intuitive, simple, and logical user interface.

Download Wiser for the Palm OS at http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov.
(7/23/2004)

Household Products Database
Features added in June:

• Links to 5,000+ consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provided by the manufacturers.
• Pet Care category
• Additional brands (including hair color products)
• Product Safety and Recall Lists (from the FDA and CPSC Web sites)
• Frequently Asked Questions page
• Link from HPD's "Chemical Information Page" to PubMed to help users find effects of the chemicals to humans in the published biomedical literature
• Ability to search only in a particular product category
  (6/16/2004)

PubMed users can access information for over 3,000 Hazardous Substances Data Bank chemical substances via LinkOut. HSDB is a factual data file that focuses on the toxicology of potentially hazardous chemicals.

How to use LinkOut to retrieve HSDB information:

• Click on the word "Links" to the right of each citation
• Choose "LinkOut" from the menu that appears
• Look for the heading, "MOLECULAR BIOLOGY DATABASES"
• HSDB links, if present, will appear under the "Hazardous Substances Databank" heading
  (5/20/2004)

New Feature for TRI
Users have the option to search all years of TRI simultaneously by choosing the Select All feature now available. TRI files cover the years 1987-2001.

Review of PDA Applications in Toxicology and Environmental Health
The National Library of Medicine's Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS) has introduced the Review of PDA Applications in Toxicology and Environmental Health, an ongoing descriptive review of selected PDA applications in the fields of toxicology and environmental health.

Individual reports in the review series are based on downloadable demo versions of selected PDA applications. Each review typically covers: General Information, Intended Users, Authorship/Data Source, Contents, Navigation, Requirements, Application Type/Price, Availability, Useful Web Links, and Updates when applicable.

SIS staff welcomes any comments on completed reviews or suggestions for additional reviews of other such applications not currently included (tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov).

Eight new chemicals are now available in Tox Town. The new chemicals include common air pollutants regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency: Nitrogen Oxides, Particulate Matter and Sulfur Dioxide. Other new chemicals are Benzene and Chromium. Three large groups of chemicals-- Pesticides, Phthalates, and Volatile Organic Compounds-- are also described.

Tox Town's City scene now provides new information for dental care providers and other dental office and dental lab employees.

Click on the new Pharmacy in the City scene for information about your medicines, cosmetics, dietary supplements, drug and medical device safely, latex allergy, occupational health for healthcare providers, vitamin and mineral supplements, and more.

International Toxicity Estimates for Risk (ITER) database
The International Toxicity Estimates for Risk (ITER) database has been added to the TOXNET system. It is a product of the non-profit group, Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA). ITER is a database of human health risk values for over 600 chemicals of environmental concern from major organizations worldwide.

A unique feature of ITER is the display of this information in tabular form, allowing for side-by-side comparisons of risk values across organizations. Accompanying the risk data tables are synopses prepared by TERA, which include explanations for any differences among the organizations' values.

Welcome to the City
Tox Town now features Tox City, which explores urban environmental threats.

EPA's TRI2001 joins TOXNET
EPA's TRI2001 has joined TOXNET. TRI2001 has approximately 95,259 records. TRI1995-2001 are now available on TOXNET. (10/8/2003)

Household Products Database
The Household Products Database enables users to find out what's in the products under the kitchen sink, in the garage, in the bathroom, and on the laundry room shelves, as well as about the potential health effects of these items.

The database links over 4,000 consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), provided by the manufacturers, which are designed to provide workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance. It also allows scientists and consumers to research products based on chemical ingredients. It is designed to help answer questions like these:

• What chemicals are contained in specific brands and in what percentage?
• Which products contain specified chemicals?
• Who manufactures a specific brand?
• How can the manufacturer be contacted?
• What are the potential health effects (acute and chronic) of the chemical ingredients in a specific brand?
• What other information is available about such chemicals in the toxicology-related databases of the National Library of Medicine.

The Household Products Database allows users to browse a product category, such as Pesticides or Personal Care, by alphabetical listing or by brand name. Products can also be searched by type or by manufacturer. Information on chemicals can be obtained by browsing an alphabetical listing of product ingredients or chemical names. The user can also search on a chemical's unique identifier. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for a product can be searched for health effects via text words. For more information, users can launch a search for a product or ingredient in TOXNET from the product's record in the database. The web address is http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/ (7/2/2003)

Environmental Justice Special Topic
NLM has developed an Internet guide to resources on Environmental Justice. Environmental justice affirms equal treatment and protection under the law for all environmental statutes, regulations and policies, without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic status. The environmental justice movement has been the primary impetus behind policy development targeting unfair, unjust, and illegal practices. Environmental contamination continues and remains a major health and social issue. The web address is http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/Tox/environmentaljustice.htm
(5/19/2003)

Asian American Health Web Site
The Asian American Health web site, second of the series of special population web sites, was created to address the health information needs of Asian Americans, the fastest growing minority population in the United States (currently over 12 million). Asian Americans are extremely diverse, coming from nearly 50 countries and ethnic groups, and are affected disproportionately by cardiovascular disease, cancer, hepatitis B, tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases. The site features links to consumer health information specific to Asian Americans, including some in Chinese and other Asian languages. In addition, there are links to consumer health information on MedlinePlus and other medical databases, as well as links to Asian health organizations and publications. The web address is http://asianamericanhealth.nlm.nih.gov (5/13/2003)

AIDSinfo
AIDSinfo, located at AIDSinfo.nih.gov, offers the latest United States federally approved information on research, clinical trials, and treatment for patients and health care providers. On December 2, 2002, the HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service (ACTIS) and its sister service, the HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS), merged into AIDSinfo.

The AIDSinfo project provides all of the services that are currently available from ACTIS and ATIS, as well as quick and easy access to wide-ranging Federal resources on HIV/AIDS clinical research, HIV treatment and prevention, and medical practice guidelines for health care providers and consumers.

The new web site is user-friendly and easy to navigate. The site's many features include:

• Federally approved information on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention guidelines
• Comprehensive database of government- and industry-sponsored HIV/AIDS clinical trials
• Information about approved and experimental HIV/AIDS drugs and vaccines
• Education and Resource Center, offering links and other downloadable resources.
  
  AIDSinfo is sponsored by the following agencies:
• National Institutes of Health and its Office of AIDS Research
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• National Library of Medicine
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Health Resources and Service Administration
• Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services
  (12/2/2002)

TOXNET Searching
SIS staff have made changes to TOXNET that make searching the system more efficient and effective.

• The default search for TOXLINE is done in both TOXLINE Special and TOXLINE Core.
• The default search for DART now includes both DART Special and Dart Core.
• Users can now limit searches in IRIS by
• Substance Identification
• Chronic Health Hazard Assessment for Noncarcinogenic Effects
• Carcinogenicity Assessment for Lifetime Exposure
• Users can now limit searches in GENE-TOX by
• Substance Identification
• Mutagenicity Studies
• Administrative Information
• Users can now limit searches in CCRIS by
• Substance Identification
• Studies Data
• Administrative Information
• The Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Facility Location now supports separate multiple entries for state, city/state, or zip with commas.
• For example: NJ, DE, or Trenton NJ, Houston TX, or 21113, 21224.

Tox Town
Tox Town en Español links to Spanish-language Internet pages on your health, chemicals, and the environment.

Tox Town
NLM's Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS) launched a new web site, Tox Town, on October 7, 2002. Tox Town is a pilot project that explores how best to provide environmental health information to a general audience. Tox Town looks at an ordinary town and points out environmental hazards that may be in that town. Users can click on a town location, like the school, and see a cutaway view of that building. Toxic chemicals that might be found in the school are listed, along with links to selected Internet resources about school environments.

For further information, please contact Cindy Love, Office of Outreach and Special Populations, SIS, NLM. Ms. Love can also be reached by telephone at 301-496-5306. You can also send comments on Tox Town to tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov. (10/23/2002)

Chemicals, Jobs and Diseases
Haz-Map® (Copyright© 2000-2002) is one of the latest additions to NLM's Specialized Information Services group of information products. It is an occupational toxicology database designed to link jobs to hazardous job tasks that may be associated with occupational diseases and their symptoms. Haz-Map® can be found at http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov.

The database is created from three data tables: Hazardous Agents, Occupational Diseases, and High Risk Jobs. The 1997 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system is the basis for the Haz-Map Jobs table and the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system for the Industries table. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) underlies the Diseases table. Additional information came from the classification and summarization of textbooks, journal articles, and electronic databases. (10/23/2002)

EPA's TRI2000 joins TOXNET
EPA's TRI2000 has joined TOXNET. TRI2000 has approximately 91,000 records. TRI95-2000 are available on TOXNET. (10/02/2002)

ALTBIB
The multiple bibliographies of Alternatives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing have been combined into one easily searchable database containing all 10 years of data. The new database is called ALTBIB.

Since 1992, the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) of the Specialized Information Services Division (SIS) of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has produced the quarterly bibliography of methods and procedures helpful in supporting the development, testing, application, and validation of alternatives to the use of vertebrates in biomedical research and toxicology testing. The database address is http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/ALTBIB.htm (9/20/2002)

TOXNET User Survey
The results of the TOXNET Visitor Profile Survey conducted between December 6, 2001 and February 11, 2002 are available for viewing. The National Library of Medicine would like to thank all users who participated in the survey. (9/20/2002)

New Look for TOXNET
The National Library of Medicine's SIS Division launched a new look for its TOXNET and DIRLINE search interfaces on May 8, 2002.

Check out the new features at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov and http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov.

• Streamlined search interface
• Search all TOXNET databases simultaneously
• Modify search from the results page
• New Limits page for HSDB customized searches
• New format and expansion for DART (DART Core and DART Special)

DART Core
MEDLINE/PubMed references related to developmental and reproductive toxicology
Covers a wider range of developmental and reproductive toxicology topics than previously included

DART Special
References not included in MEDLINE/PubMed, such as meeting abstracts, books, technical reports, and journals not indexed for MEDLINE.

How to Search
Enter a search strategy in the DART search box
Select either DART Core, DART Special or Both
Selecting Both returns two sets of results in separate windows:
Journal literature from MEDLINE/PubMed
Additional references from DART Special

Toxicology & Environmental Health News

Children's Environmental Health Information Resources Satellite Broadcast.
On January 31, 2002, the Partners in Information Access for Public Health Professionals are sponsoring a satellite broadcast on locating and accessing information resources pertaining to children's environmental health. The program will assist public health professionals in locating online information on children's health issues including asthma, food safety, lead poisoning, and exposure to toxic chemicals.

HIV/AIDS News