Document VJbnyaV4JEDX731yBXvKGx41w

Toxicology Information Program The Toxicology Information Program was established as a result of recommendations made In 1966 by a Presidential Science Advisory Committee panel report on the "Handling of Toxicological Information." The panel recommended that IHIEV establish a computerized system for toxicology information and an organization to build and maintain the system. Accordingly, the Toxicology Information Program (TIP) was organized in 1967 and located at the National Library of Medicine. General objectives of the Program are: (1) to create computer-based toxicology data banks from the scientific literature and from the files of collaborating industrial, academic, and governmental agencies; and (2) to establish toxicology information services for the scientific community. To reach the first objective, TIP is building a number of computerized toxicology data bases, either independently or in collaboration with other organizations. One example is the Toxicology Data Bank (TDB), an on-line interactive data retrieval system. The TDB will contain evaluated data on selected chemicals to which humans are exposed and which present actual or potential health hazards. Collected data will include chemical and physical properties and analytical methods; animal and human toxicology (such as overdose treatment and drug interactions, animal and clinical studies, and carcinogenesis information); production, uses, and shipment methods; environmental hazards; and explosive and fire potential. Another example is the Product Composition File, a planned on-line system which will contain use, composition, and toxicity data for some 19,000 commercial products listed in the handbook. Clinical Toxicology of Cormcrcial Products. Under the aegis of the Toxicology Information Subcommittee of the DHEW Committee to Coordinate Toxicology and Related Programs, TIP is charged with coordinating toxicology information activities throughout the Department and among other Federal agencies. To this end, a number of projects have been identified. One of these projects, already underway, will create an on-line interactive data bank on base line responses in laboratory control animals. The second objective of the Program, to provide toxicology information service to the scientific community, is presently being implemented in three ways: query response, publications, and through various on-line information retrieval sources. For the first of these, TIP has established the Toxicology Information Response Center (TIRC) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Literature searches arc per formed there for a service fee of $20/hour. Search requests should be addressed directly to: Director, TIRC, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P. 0. Box Y, Oak Itidr.o, TN 37830. TIRC also prepares special annotated bibliographies which arc sold Uuouil' the National Technical Information Service. (over) DtPAMTMl NT Of IIUITH, tOUCANON, AND \V[|IARi Public Htullh Svfvkc Njlionjl InWilutc* <>l Ik.illli ucc 007967 2- - In the area of publications, the Program has sponsored or created a number of journals and monographs. Among these are Toxicity Bibliography, a quarterly publication containing bibliographic references with MeSH terms derived from the MEDLARS data base (annual subscriptions from the Superintendent of Documents, at $27.50 domestic, $32.00 foreign); Abstracts on Health Effects of Environmental Pollutants, a monthly abstract journal and magnetic tape service prepared in cooperation with BioSciences Information Service (annual subscriptions are $95.00 for the journal and $500.00 for the tape service from BioSciences Information Services, Professional Services Department, 2100 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19103); A Directory of Information Resources in the United States: General Toxicology, prepared in cooperation with the National Referral Center, Library of Congress (available from the Superintendent of Documents, $3.30); and Drug Interactions-An Annotat('d Bibliography with Selected Excerpts, Volumes I and II available at the rate of $27.05 and $17.70 respectively from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. 20402. State-of-the-art reviews written by experts on topics of current interest are sponsored by TIP and published in journals such as EnvironrunLa' Health Perspectives and Toxicology, The third way in which TIP brings toxicology information services to the conmuinity is with on-line interactive retrieval services. The major service, TOXLINE, provides to users a file of over 360,000 bibliographic references on toxicology with full abstracts and index terms derived from the scientific literature. The file includes 96,000 citations with MeSH terms from Toxicity Bibliography (1968-present); 15,000 abstracts from Pesticides Abstracts (1966-present); 185,000 abstracts from ChemicalBiological Activities (1965-present); 32,000 citations and abstracts from Abstracts on Health Effeotc of Environmental Pollutants (1972-present); 22,000 abstracts from International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-present); and 10,000 miscellaneous citations on the health effects of pesticides (1948-1966). TOXLINE is designed as an information retrieval tool for the areas of environmental pollution, occupational health and safety, pharmacology, toxicology, medicine, and related bioscientiflc disciplines. The service is accessible via terminals, on-line through a national telephone-based communications network that connects users to the central computer at the Library. A second on-line retrlevsl service, CHEMLINE, is also available. The service is essentially a dictionary for chemical nomenclature covering 75,000 unique substances. It is derived primarily from the Registry Files of ths Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) and contains standard CAS nomenclature, trade names, synonyms, CAS Registry numbers, and Wlsvesser Line Notations. The system allows for on-line substructure searching and servea ss an aid file for TOXLINE and MIDLINE users. The fee for using TOXLINE and CHEMLINE is $15/terminal connect hour. Inquiries about the Toxicology Information Program or any of its services should be addressed to: Associate Director, Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Betheada, Md. 20014. Talephone: (301) 496-3147. ucc 007968