General Contaminant Information
EPA understands that the CLU-IN Contaminant Focus area does not address all contaminants and contaminant groups that are of interest to site owners and other parties involved in remedial activities. The resources below provide information on this broader range of contaminants and contaminant groups.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Toxicological Profiles are produced for hazardous substances found at National Priorities List (NPL) sites. These hazardous substances are ranked based on frequency of occurrence at NPL sites, toxicity, and potential for human exposure. Toxicological Profiles are developed from a priority list of 275 substances.
Public Health Statements are a series of summaries about hazardous substances. The information in these statements has been taken from their respective Toxicological Profiles and addresses the most frequently asked questions about exposure to hazardous substances found around hazardous waste sites and the effects of exposure on human health.
Information for ToxFAQs is based on Toxicological Profiles and Public Health Statements. Each fact sheet serves as a quick and easy to understand guide, with answers provided to the most frequently asked questions about exposure to hazardous substances found around hazardous waste sites and the effects of exposure on human health.
These profiles succinctly characterize the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for mixtures of hazardous substances. Each peer-reviewed profile identifies and reviews the key literature that describes toxicologic properties of the featured mixtures.
Environmental Protection Agency
The ECOTOX (ECOTOXicology) database provides single chemical toxicity information for aquatic and terrestrial life. ECOTOX is a useful tool for examining impacts of chemicals on the environment. Peer-reviewed literature is the primary source of information encoded in the database.
These fact sheets describe the effects on human health of substances that are defined as hazardous by the 1990 amendments of the Clean Air Act. These substances include certain volatile organic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and radionuclides that present tangible hazard, based on scientific studies of exposure to humans and other mammals.
IRIS is an electronic database containing information on human health effects that may result from exposure to various chemicals in the environment. IRIS was initially developed for EPA staff in response to a growing demand for consistent information on chemical substances for use in risk assessments, decision-making and regulatory activities. The information in IRIS is intended for those without extensive training in toxicology, but with some knowledge of health sciences.
The Substance Registry System is EPA's central system for information about regulated and monitored substances. The system provides a common basis for identification of chemicals, biological organisms, and other substances listed in EPA regulations and data systems, as well as substances of interest from other sources, such as publications.
The EPA publication SW-846, entitled Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods, is the official compendium of analytical and sampling methods that have been evaluated and approved for use in complying with RCRA regulations. SW-846 functions primarily as a guidance document setting forth acceptable, although not required, methods for the regulated and regulatory communities to use in responding to RCRA-related sampling and analysis requirements.
The TRI Explorer provides access to the TRI data to help communities identify facilities and chemical disposal or other release patterns that warrant further study and analysis. Combined with hazard and exposure information, the TRI Explorer can be a valuable tool for risk identification.
The EXTension TOXicology NETwork (EXTOXNET) is an effort of University of California, Davis, Oregon State University, Michigan State University, Cornell University, and the University of Idaho. Pesticide Information Profiles are documents which provide specific pesticide information relating to health and environmental effects.
NEMI is a free, searchable clearinghouse of methods and procedures for both regulatory and non-regulatory monitoring purposes for water, sediment, air and tissues. NEMI is being developed under the direction of the Methods and Data Comparability Board , a partnership of water-quality experts from Federal agencies, States, Tribes, municipalities, industry, and private organizations.
NMAM is a collection of methods for sampling and analysis of contaminants in workplace air, and in the blood and urine of workers who are occupationally exposed. These methods have been developed or adapted by NIOSH or its partners and have been evaluated according to established experimental protocols and performance criteria. NMAM also includes chapters on quality assurance, sampling, and portable instrumentation.
The RoC is an informational scientific and public health document first ordered by Congress in 1978 that identifies and discusses agents, substances, mixtures, or exposure circumstances that may pose a hazard to human health by virtue of their carcinogenicity. The RoC is published biennially and serves as a meaningful and useful compilation of data on: the carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and biologic mechanisms of the listed substance in humans and/or animals; the potential for human exposure to these substances; and federal regulations to limit exposures.
National Library of Medicine
TOXNET (TOXicology Data NETwork) is a cluster of databases covering toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health and related areas.
PubMed was developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine. PubMed was designed to provide access to citations from biomedical literature. PubMed also provides access and links to the other molecular biology resources.
National Park Service
The main goal of this encyclopedia is to summarize toxicology information related to fish, wildlife, invertebrates, and other non-human living resources. This product differs from existing databases in that it has an environmental toxicology emphasis and it summarizes information on these issues into a single, searchable source.
United Nations Environment Programme
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. This site contains information about POPs, including alternatives to POPs and global monitoring of POPs.
U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Library is the largest library for earth sciences in the world. Materials include USGS publications as well as those produced by state and foreign geological surveys, scientific societies, museums, academic institutions, and government scientific agencies.