SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY
National Library of Medicine Expanding Its Chemical Databases Library seeks to address growing demands from scientists and the public for data on environmental and hazardous substances It is well known that the National Library of Medicine, a unit of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., has the world's largest collection of biomedical literature. Access to much of this material is available through MEDLARS, NLM's on-line Medical Literature Analysis & Retrieval System. What may be less well known is that, in addition to its primary focus on biomedical information, NLM has also been actively expanding the scope of its chemistry-related files on MEDLARS in recent years. This increased emphasis on chemical information arises from growing demands
for such data from researchers and the general public, sometimes in response to federal legislation on environmental and hazardous substances issues. Formerly, chemical-related MEDLARS files focused mainly on toxicology and drug effects. More recently, however, "the emphasis has changed to accommodate new information needs relating to environmental issues, occupational health and safety, and hazardous substances," explains Melvin L. Spann, chief of biomedical information services at NLM. Want to know the top polluters in a state, or the top pollutants by chemical name? In the Emergency Planning & Community Right-ToKnow Act, part of the Superfund Amendments & Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986, Congress mandated access to such information by the general public. This access is now provided in an on-line form by the
TRI (Toxics Release Inventory) series of databases. The TRI files are found on TOXNET (Toxicology Data Network), a component of MEDLARS containing files on hazardous chemicals and environmental health. Under the terms of SARA, industrial facilities are required to report data annually to the Environmental Protection Agency on releases to the air, water, or land of some 300 hazardous substances. EPA compiles these data and sends them to NLM, which then makes them available as the TRI files. Additional data on air emissions will be included in TRI in the near future owing to the recent passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act. To ease public access to the emissions data on TRI, NLM has developed a simple menu-driven user interface for the file. Search results can either be scanned on-line, downloaded to a user's computer, or printed in an off-line mode at NLM and mailed to the user. To provide
Several NLM databases are of special interest to chemists CCRIS (Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information System) contains evaluated data derived from short- and long-term bioassays on 2341 chemicals. ChemID (Chemical Identification) provides Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Numbers, chemical names, and other data on more than 180,000 chemical substances. • CHEMLINE (Chemical Dictionary Online) is a directory of chemical names, synonyms, CAS Registry Numbers, molecular formulas, and other data on more than 1 million chemical compounds. It serves as a pointer to other NLM files. DART (Developmental & Reproductive Toxicology database) contains citations to the literature on teratology
and other aspects of developmental and reproductive toxicology. EMIC (Environmental Mutagen Information Center database) provides bibliographic citations on chemical, biological, and physical agents tested for mutagenic activity. • HSDB (Hazardous Substances Data Bank) is a peer-reviewed file covering toxicity, environmental fate, human exposure, chemical safety, waste disposal, emergency handling, and regulations for nearly 4300 toxic or potentially toxic chemicals. IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System) contains health risk and regulatory information from the Environmental Protection Agency on 427 chemicals.
RTECS (Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances) has National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health data on skin/eye irritation, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and reproductive consequences for about 104,000 chemicals. TOXLINE (Toxicology Information Online) and TOXLIT (Toxicology Literature from Special Sources) list references (about 3 million records) on the pharmacological, biochemical, physiological, and toxicological effects of drugs and other chemicals. The TRI (Toxics Release Inventory) series provides information on annual releases of toxic chemicals to the environment, based on industrial data submitted to EPA.
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Science/Technology searchers with a better perspective on possible health consequences of chemical releases reported in TRI, TOXNET also will soon include TRIFACTS, a file describing the TRI chemicals. The concept of providing public access to hazardous emissions data seems to be working because NLM sees continued growth in use of TRI, not only by organizations but also by unaffiliated individuals. In October, 11% of connect hours to TRI were by individuals, a percentage that has been increasing regularly. Bruno M. Vasta, administrator of TOXNET, believes that a substantial number of individual users are members of the local emergency planning committees set up under SARA. According to Henry M. Kissman, associate director of specialized information services at NLM, several other MEDLARS files provide access to data on chemical compounds and their attributes. These files include HSDB, the Hazardous Substances Data Bank; RTECS, the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances; DART, the Developmental & Reproductive Toxicology database; EMIC, the Environmental Mutagen Information Center database; and GENETOX, a genetic toxicity file based on data from EPA. HSDB, RTECS, and DART are currently available, and EMIC and GENETOX will be coming off the drawing boards soon. One of the first chemically indexed databases on MEDLARS was a toxicology file called TOXLINE, set up in the early 1970s as a guide to the literature on health effects of drugs and other chemicals. Soon after this file was established, it became evident that a chemical dictionary was needed to help users search it. This resulted in the development of CHEMLINE, a chemical dictionary and directory file that now contains more than 1 million compounds found in TOXLINE and other NLM databases. Most of the information for CHEMLINE is obtained by NLM under license from Chemical Abstracts Service. Earlier this year, NLM also set up a new chemical directory file called ChemlD. ChemID is similar to CHEMLINE, except that the data come from publicly available sources. An important feature on ChemID 16
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is SUPERLIST, a cross-reference capability that points to the presence of a chemical on any of 16 regulatory lists. Connect-hour charges for ChemID are lower than for CHEMLINE, but ChemID has a more limited coverage. Also of interest to the chemical community is an innovative system called ANSWER that is designed to assist those responding to hazardous chemical emergencies. The heart of the system is a CD-ROM database on the medical and hazard management of exposures to more than 1000 hazardous substances. Also included are an "experience" file on past incidents involving the same chemical or chemicals, an air dispersion modeling package, and a module that provides rapid access to external on-line databases. The complexity of many NLM databases does require a certain level of skill on the part of the user. Therefore, NLM has an extensive training and outreach program that includes classroom instruction, quick reference guides, and computer-based demo disks and tutorials. A
software package called GRATEFUL MED, a user-friendly interface to many of the NLM files, is also available to ease searching. Fees for database access average about $30 per connect hour, with reduced rates during nonpeak hours. Anybody can apply to NLM for an access code, with no initiation fees or minimum fees required. Besides an access code, all one needs to perform a MEDLARS search are a terminal or computer, a phone line, and a modem with communications software. Some local libraries also conduct searches for individuals. The increase in chemical-related information services on MEDLARS represents an effort by NLM, in cooperation with other federal agencies, to develop databases relevant to today's chemical and environmental issues. "Not only is the public more interested, but Congress is telling the public, 'We will see that this information is made available to you,'" says Spann. "This has been a major motivation for expansion of these programs." Stu Borman
Environmental expo to debut next spring When National Manufacturing Week takes to the floor at McCormick Place in Chicago next April 811, the environment will be part and parcel of the group of manufacturing industry trade shows brought together under that name. Joining seven other shows will be a new Environmental Technology Exposition & Conference (ETE). ETE has a number of unusual aspects. It is designed to have a broad base, bringing together technologies that range across the issues of air and water pollution, solid waste management, recycling, and hazardous waste management. According to ETE '91 show manager Jill Vanderlin, the exposition—65% booked at this point, with some 300 exhibitors expected— will be augmented with a conference package of papers, short courses, and workshops. ETE is being produced by Cahners Exposition Group, a member of Reed Exposition Companies. Among the other shows making up the National Manufacturing Week event are
the National Plant Engineering & Maintenance Show & Conference and the National Design Engineering Show & Conference. Vanderlin notes that a number of international sponsorships are being lined up for ETE. Cahners Publishing's Pollution Engineering magazine is being joined in the U.S. by the National Registry of Environmental Professionals and the Gas Research Institute. The Department of Trade & Industry and the Department of Environment from the U.K. are part of the international sponsorship, as is the Association of French Mechanical Industries. ETE is unique, Vanderlin says, in offering workshops and a half-day exam for certification by the National Registry of Environmental Professionals. This nonprofit group works with a number of universities to put together workshops to help people such as auditors, lawyers, and others become certified in the environmental area. James Krieger
