Martha Szczur, MS¹, Colette Hochstein, DMD, MLS¹, David Hale², Chris Krahe, MS³, and Carina Hassan³. (1) Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health/HHS, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Suite 510, Bethesda, MD 20892, 301-496-6073, szczurm@mail.nlm.nih.gov, (2) Division of Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Suite 510, Bethesda, MD 20892, (3) Aquilent, Inc., 1100 West Street, Laurel, MD 20707

Almost every day, a particular chemical facility or chemical is mentioned in the news or by the press. In such cases, public health professionals are often consulted by their own or by other agencies, by the press, and/or by concerned citizens, to provide accurate, relevant information. TOXMAP, a web-based mapping resource developed by the National Library of Medicine’s Division of Specialized Information Services, can be an ideal reference in such cases. TOXMAP provides detailed information regarding facilities and their releases. It uses maps of the United States to help users visually discover data from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), and provides tools to analyze the data via trends over time, and charts/graphs showing relative percentages. It also provides direct links to authoritative information (from the Hazardous Substances Data Bank/HSDB) regarding the chemicals released at many facilities, such as human health effects and environmental fate. It also offers access to an extensive array of references to literature on the toxicological effects of these chemicals by enabling searching of NLM’s TOXLINE via chemical name and geographic terms. Participants will develop an understanding of how TOXMAP can help them learn about chemical releases and releasing facilities within the geographic area/s they specify. They will be able to identify situations in which it can assist them in identifying and sharing accurate information about specific chemicals and the facilities that release them. Participants will also learn about how feedback from public health professionals was used to improve TOXMAP and enhance its usability.

Learning Objectives: