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Web Sites of the Week - Chemical Exposure and Toxicity Data Resources Check back each week for a new list of interesting and informative Web Sites selected by the Charleston County Public Library.
Click here for Archived Web Sites of the Week
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and Access to Chemical Data
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making it easier to find data about chemicals. The EPA is releasing two databases—the Toxicity Forecaster database (ToxCastDB) and a database of chemical exposure studies (ExpoCastDB)—that scientists and the public can use to access chemical toxicity and exposure data.
New Chemicals (EPA)
Mandated by Section 5 of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), The EPA's New Chemicals Program helps manage the potential risk to human health and the environment from chemicals new to the marketplace. The program functions as a gatekeeper that can identify conditions, up to and including a ban on production, to be placed on the use of a new chemical before it is entered into commerce.
High Toxicity Chemicals
From the Oxford University Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, the following table lists some of the most common chemicals which present a particularly severe risk to health. This list is of course not intended to be comprehensive,
Toxic Chemicals Research from the EPA
Recent advances in the science regarding the toxicity and bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals need to be incorporated as improvements are used to develop new water quality criteria. The general goal of the EPA's research in this area is to develop scientifically defensible methods for better describing the risks toxic chemicals pose to aquatic life and aquatic-dependent wildlife.
“Take out Toxics”
From the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), more than 80,000 chemicals permitted in the United States have never been fully assessed for toxic impacts on human health and the environment.
Hazardous Chemicals and Waste Sites
This site comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the site, “Chemicals that get in our body can make us sick. Chemicals can enter our home and yard in different ways. Some can be found in household products that we bring into the home. We can unintentionally carry them into the yard and home from work on clothes, tools, shoes, or other items. Chemicals can move through air, water, and soil from environmental sources such as ponds, incinerators and waste sites.” Included on the site are health and safety tips.
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