Toxicology information, databases

Comprehensive reviews of medical databases (105) and health and toxicological information systems (106), including search aids in each field, appeared in ARIST pubHcations in 1983 and 1990. Toxicology information was reviewed in 1983 (103) and medical and health information in 1990 (100). Reviews of electronic government information (107) and engineering information systems (108) have also been pubHshed and provide an expansion of database knowledge for readers who require crossover information in these fields. 

TOXLINE (non-royalty based) Toxicology Information Online National Library of Medicine 8600 Roekville Pike Bethesda, MD 20894 (301) 496-1131 On-line bibliographic database covering the pharmacological, physiological, and toxicological effects of drugs and chemicals. Information is taken from eleven secondary sources. 

ToxSeek is an NLM metasearch engine and clustering tool that enables the simultaneous searching of many different toxicology and environmental health information databases and web sites. This tool includes 59 databases including the TOXNET Search tool, as well as information sources from NLM, NIH, US Government, International and other sources. 

RTECS helps you find critical toxicological information with citations for over 160 000 chemical substances from more than 2500 sources. This database is also available in French and Spanish. 

The Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances. The Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) [70] is a database of toxicological information compiled, maintained, and updated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 mandated the program. RTECS now contains over 133,000 chemicals as NIOSH strives to fulfill the mandate to list all known toxic substances and the concentrations at which toxicity is known to occur. This database is available for searching through the GOV. Research Center (GRQ service at http // grc.ntis.gov by subscription or by a day pass. 

HSDB. 1996. Hazardous Substances Database -Hexane. National Library of Medicine, National Toxicology Information Program, Bethesda, MD. 

Sussman, R. and Galer, D. (1990). A database for communicating toxicology information to safety personnel. Toxicologist 10 87. 

Laboratory rodents are the animal models most commonly used to identify hazards in reproductive toxicity. Rodents are used because they are small animals, the assay cost is moderate and there is a large database of toxicology information on these species (e.g., dose-response, metabolism, kinetics, etc.). The rat has proven to be a good model for human reproductive hazard evaluation (Francis et al., 1990). 

Priority-based Assessment of Food Additives (PAFA). It contains administrative, chemical, and toxicological information for over 2000 substances regulated by the FDA as direct, secondary direct, color additives, GRAS substances, and prior-sanctioned substances. In addition, the database contains only administrative and chemical information for less than 1000 such substances. 

Chemweb, available from www.chemweb.com, provides limited access to several databases to registrants free of charge, including basic information in chemical directories, such as the Chapman Hall CRC Combined Chemical Dictionary. No toxicological information is available and access is relatively slow. Retrieval of actual data is subject to purchase. 

The European Chemical Bureau (ECB) has an equivalent collection of high- and low-production volume chemicals — the International Uniform Chemicals Information Database (IUCLID ecb.jrc.it/existing-chemicals/). IUCLID has no longer toxicological information accessible to the user and has limited search options. There is also a CD-ROM version, available for a nominal cost. 

It should be noted that the most important tool in the process described above is the skill of the human experts. At the same time, great support is provided by the access to all the relevant literature. The ability to search relationally across public toxicity databases using both biological and chemical criteria represents a potentially powerful approach for SAR analysis. The databases in Table 8.1 constitute the first source of publicly available data for retrieving toxicological information. Searches in chemical abstracts can provide a wealth of chemical and biochemical data on individual chemicals. Whilst large pharmaceutical and chemical companies have invested heavily... 

The Navy should consider using the National Library of Medicine s Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART) database as the primary source of bibliographic information in this area. 

Determining public health implications based on available community-specific health outcome databases and other medical and toxicological information. In this step, the health assessor discusses the health effects of site contaminants, evaluates health outcome data, and addresses all questions raised by the community. Accordingly, there are three parts to this step (1) toxicological evaluation, (2) health outcome data evaluation, and (3) community health concerns evaluation. The health assessment must demonstrate how information in each step of the health assessment relates to the public health discussion. 

One of the largest online bibliographic sources for toxicology information, these databases contain over 3 million citations to all areas of toxicology. TOXLINE references are drawn from various sources grouped into two parts - TOXLINE Core and TOXLINE Special. A standard search of TOXLINE retrieves records from both subsets. Users can also limit retrieval to only one. Both files are available on the NLM MEDLARS system (DIALOG on CD through Silver Platter). 

TEHIP s primary information resource repository is the TOXNET system of databases. TOXNET comprises databases of summary toxicological information, technical literature, references, chemical nomenclature, and toxic releases. It also provides links to additional sources of information on toxicology, environmental health, and hazardous chemicals. The contents of the TOXNET databases are derived from federal agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Cancer Institute, and NLM itself. 

The following paragraphs will summarize TEHIP s free, web-based toxicological information resources. The individual databases of the TOXNET system will be described first. Descriptions of miscellaneous additional electronic resources available through TEHIP will follow. 

The toxicities of single chemicals are available from a number of databases and sources. Those listed here are not exclusive resources, but they do provide toxicological information for most single chemicals. 

Multi-Database—searches all factual chemical databases for toxicological information. 

The European Chemicals Bureau publishes a list of databases on the Web dedicated to computational toxicology information sources/ information databases.php>. 

The main causes of chemical toxicity are side reactions of drug molecules with DNA or proteins, as well as interference with enzymatic systems. There are two databases containing factual toxicological information. One is the RTECS (Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances), with data on 100 000 compounds. The other is the TOXSYS, with data on 240 000 compounds. ... 

OHMTADS Oil and Hazardons Materials Technical Assistance Data System, a compnt-erized database containing chemical, biological, and toxicological information abont hazardous substances. OSCs nse OHMTADS to identify nnknown chemicals and to learn how to best handle known chemicals. 

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