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CHARTing Health Information

This LibGuide has been designed to provide a comprehensive collection of links to publicly available health and health determinants data. While the emphasis is on the state of Texas, there are links to sites that cover all of the U.S.

Key to the Texas symbol

This symbol indicates that the resource provides data only for Texas.

If there is no symbol, the resource provides data for all US states including Texas.

Health Effects & Chemical Information

ToxNet
Produced by: National Library of Medicine
Geographic coverage: n/a
Dates of coverage: n/a
  • Hazardous Substances Data Bank
    • Broad scope in human and animal toxicity, safety and handling, environmental fate, and more. Scientifically peer-reviewed.
  • Integrated Risk Information System
    • Data from the EPA in support of human health risk assessment, focusing on hazard identification and dose-response assessment.
  • International Toxicity Estimates for Risk
    • A product of the Cincinnati based Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, ITER presents chemical risk information from authoritative groups worldwide.
  • Carcinogenic Potency Database
    • The Carcinogenic Potency Database, developed at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, provides standardized analyses of the results of 6540 chronic, long-term animal cancer tests that have been conducted since the 1950's and reported in the general published literature or by the National Cancer Institute and the National Toxicology Program.
  • Household Products Database
    • This database links over 4,000 consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and allows you to research products based on chemical ingredients.

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry
Produced by: US ATSDR
Geographic coverage: n/a
Dates of coverage: n/a
  • Toxic Substances Portal
  • ToxFAQS
    "Each fact sheet serves as a quick and easy to understand guide. Answers are provided to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about exposure to hazardous substances found around hazardous waste sites and the effects of exposure on human health."
  • Public Health Statements
    "The ATSDR Public Health Statements (PHSs) listed below are a series of summaries about hazardous substances developed by the ATSDR Division of Toxicology. The information in these PHSs has been taken from Chapter One of their respective ATSDR Toxicological Profiles."
  • Toxicological Profile Information Sheets
    By Congressional mandate, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) produces "toxicological profiles" for hazardous substances found at National Priorities List (NPL) sites."

Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheets
Produced by: NJ Dept. of Health & Senior Services
Geographic coverage: n/a
Dates of coverage: n/a

The Right to Know fact sheets are designed for the public, but still provide a great deal of information. They are very well designed and include: a hazard summary, workplace exposure limits, health hazard information (acute effects and chronic effects), and handling and storage information.

Chemical Listing & Documentation for Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Conditions
Produced by: US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Geographic coverage: n/a
Dates of coverage: n/a

"The "immediately dangerous to life or health air concentration values (IDLHs)" used by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as respirator selection criteria were first developed in the mid-1970's. The Documentation for Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLHs) is a compilation of the rationale and sources of information used by NIOSH during the original determination of 387 IDLHs and their subsequent review and revision in 1994."

Report on Carcinogens
Produced by: US Public Health Service
Geographic coverage: n/a
Dates of coverage: most current report

 

 

12th Report on Carcinogens
"The Report on Carcinogens (RoC) is an informational scientific and public health document that identifies and discusses agents, substances, mixtures, or exposure circumstances that may pose a hazard to human health by virtue of their carcinogenicity. It serves as a meaningful and
useful compilation of data on (1) the carcinogenicity (ability to cause cancer), genotoxicity (ability to damage genes), and biologic mechanisms (modes of action in the body) of the listed substances in humans and/or in animals, (2) the potential for human exposure to these substances, and (3) Federal regulations to limit exposures. The RoC does not present quantitative assessments of the risks of cancer associated with these substances. Thus listing of substances in the RoC only indicates a potential hazard and does not establish the exposure
conditions that would pose cancer risks to individuals in their daily lives. Such formal risk assessments are the responsibility of the appropriate federal, state, and local health regulatory and research agencies."

Environmental Health from MedlinePlus OR
Salud Ambiental
Produced by: US National Library of Medicine (NLM)
Geographic coverage: n/a
Dates of coverage: n/a

MedlinePlus will link you to a wonderful collection of resources that focus on environmental health issues. Many of the sites you get linked to are also found on this page, so be sure you don't go around in circles!