This document provides summaries of several hazardous materials web resources for first responders: - CHEMM provides chemical hazard information including tools, guidelines, directories and scenarios to help first responders plan for and respond to chemical incidents. - WISER provides a mobile-friendly system with substance identification support and data on physical characteristics, health effects, and containment for hazardous materials incidents. - TOXNET is a collection of toxicology and environmental health databases covering chemicals, toxic releases, and specialty areas. It allows for searching individual databases or across all databases.

1. HazMat Resources
A guide to different Hazardous Materials web resources
designed for first responders.

2. http://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/
 Chemical Hazards Emergency Management
 Produced by U.S. Dep. of H.H.S. and the NLM
 Designed to enable first responders/providers
and emergency personnel to plan for and
respond to effects of mass-casualty incidents
involving chemicals
 Downloadable and web-based resource
 Contains interactive tools, checklists, guidelines,
lists, directories, scenarios and other material
CHEMM: Introduction

3. • Link to this section found on
homepage
• Access site and information
two ways, depending on new
users background and intent
1) first responders and/or
hospital providers in a
chemical emergency scenario
2) new users unfamiliar with
CHEMM and its organization.
http://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/wheretostart.htm
• Both sections contain the same information and links
• Select whichever technique is more relevant to needs
or comfortable to use
CHEMM: New users

4. Find materials on web site according to:
Content tree
structure map Personnel status or readiness
Chemical
emergency
scenario
aspects
CHEMM: Site Navigation

5. • A prototype
support tool for
identifying the
chemical a patient
was exposed to in
a mass casualty
incident
• Asks up to 15
multiple-choice
questions to
determine a
hypothetical
http://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/chemmist.htm patient‘s
syndrome.
• Not intended for actual patient care
CHEMM: CHEMM-IST

6. • Guidelines provided for specific
chemical agents like ammonia and
hydrogen cyanide for pre-hospital
and emergency dept./hospital
managements
• Each agent webpage consists of
• Chemical agent management
overview (identification, rescuer
protection, decontamination, et
c.)
• Hot Zone information
• Decontamination zone facts
• Support zone information
http://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/mmghome.htm
CHEMM: Acute Patient Care
Guidelines

7. Resource also provides a
continually updated list
hazardous chemicals
organized by type and
category
Each hyperlinked
hazardous chemical type
or category listed is
linked to its own web
page and broken down
into more
readable, specific
information…
http://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/agentcategories.htm
CHEMM: Chem. Types/Categories

8. Each chemical type comes with:
links to info
a definition from the
CDC, WISER,
and CAMEO
such as agent
names,
properties,
traits, PPE,
symptoms,
Additional supplementary and other
information ChemIDPlus and emergency
the Hazardous Substances response data
Data Bank (NIH/NLM)
CHEMM: Chem. Types/Categories

9. A list of basic Emergency
Contacts for the general
public and professionals is
featured. In addition, the
full web page lists
agencies, phone
numbers, and websites for
more specific professionals
such as response providers
and medical/hospital
providers and public and
community resources.
http://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/emergencycontacts.htm
CHEMM: Emergency Contacts

10. • Dictionary adapted from
the CDC/ATSDR ―Managing
Hazardous Materials
Incidents‖ and the CIA
―Chemical/Biological/Radiol
ogical Incident Handbook‖
• Searched by selecting the
http://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/dictionary.htm first letter of the word in
question.
• Includes links to additional dictionaries like
the Glossary of Terms (CDC/ATSDR), IUPAC
Glossary of Terms Used in Toxicology, and
Common Toxicology Terms (Society of
Toxicology).
CHEMM: Dictionary

11. http://webwiser.nlm.nih.gov/getHomeData.do
• The Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders
(WISER) is a system concept for providing First Responders at
the scene of hazardous material incidents – chemical,
biological, or radioactive – with integrated information, decision
support, and communications
• Information available on stationary and mobile devices
• Substance information and identification properties come from
the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), developed and
maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
• This guide focuses on the web application version
WISER: Introduction

12. • Developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), WISER
provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances,
including chemical identification support, physical
characteristics, human health information, and containment
and suppression information.
• WISER consist of the following primary screens:
• Substance List Page: lists all available substances
• Substance Data Page: displays substance data for a selected
substance
• Help Identify Page: identification of unknown chemicals
• Tools Page: general tools and reference materials
WISER: Content Overview

13. • WISER allows the user to specify 1 of 3
roles they are currently performing at
the scene: emergency responder,
Hazmat Specialist, and EMS Specialist
First Responder
• PPE
• Along with basic information, users • Protective Distance
• Fire Procedures
given information most relevant to • Reactivities
their respective role • Treatment
Hazmat Specialist
• Profile determines how certain • Phystical Properties
information is presented by Summary
• PPE
WISER, i.e., what ‗hot links‘ • IDLH
are presented on the • Flammability Limits
• NFPA 704 Classification
Substance Data Screen‘s data
menu, ensuring that the most EMS Specialist
• Treatment
relevant information is the • Health Effects
most readily available. • Toxicity
Summary
• IDLH
WISER: User Profiles
• NFPA 704
Classification

14. If the name of a substance is known, users can search the list
and find information about the substance relevant to their role
http://webwiser.nlm.nih.gov/knownSubstanceSearch.do
Users can search
1. Use A-Z through the list in up
links as seen to 4 ways:
in the image.
Option is only
available
when the list
is in a 2. Search by moving
―Search By through the arrows
Name‖ state. located toward the
bottom of the screen
WISER: Substance List

15. Filter by
3. Filtering substance
“type”
based on the
―type‖ of Field for text
searching
substance (all A-Z links used
substances, all to move
chemicals, all
through the
substance list
biologicals, all
radiologicals) Sets the
starting
substance
in the list
Current Navigation Controls to move
status through the list
4. Entering one of the substance‘s ID numbers
in the Known Substance field
• UN/NA, CAS registry or STCC number
WISER: Substance List

16. After locating the desired substance in the list, clicking it displays
the Substance Data Screen for that compound.
Ex. Diethyl Ether (alias of Ether)
Finish note section at bottom; Us.Gu.; perhaps include on next slide?
WISER: Substance List/Data Screen

17. Ex. Diethyl Ether (alias of Ether)
Com
mon
to all
user
profil
es
Basic substance information remains the same but other information
provided is tailored to user type (i.e., first responder, etc.).
WISER: Data Screen & Profile

18. • Free, Web-based system of databases on
toxicology, environmental health, hazardous
chemicals, toxic releases, chemical
nomenclatures, and specialty areas such as
occupational health and consumer products.
• Not formatted for web-devices, not designed for first
responders/those on the scene.
• TOXLINE and DART citations cover 1965 to the
present. You may also find a few citations dating
back to the 1940's.
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/
TOXNET: Introduction

19. • http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/databasedescriptions.html
• Toxnet is a collection of 20 different databases. Click the link
above for a description of each database.
TOXNET: The Databases

20. From the main TOXNET page, you can also learn more about the
databases by clicking on the question marks next to each database
name.
Clicking on a question mark takes
you to a short description,
example below.
TOXNET: The Databases (cont.d)

21. There are two ways to search Toxnet—You can either search a
specific database or enter a term in the main search box which will
search all of them.
Once you hit
search, the
results will tell
you which
databases the
information is
coming from.
TOXNET: Search Techniques

22. TOXNET:
• Uses Boolean operators (and, or, not)
• Truncation
• Phrase searching—Put quotation marks around your terms to
search as a phrase
• Synonym—By default the system will search for the exact
name, synonyms, and CAS number. Select ―no‖ to search only
exact term or CAS number.
• To do an ―advanced‖
search, click the ―limits‖
box underneath the search
window. This will expand
and give options for how to
limit the search.
TOXNET: Search Techniques

23. Once you click on a database on the results page, you will
encounter a list of the articles with this set of buttons on the left-
hand side:
Save Checked Items—save items in a set for displaying,
sorting, and downloading
Sort—sort the entire search results or items in a saved set
Download—download the entire search results or items saved
in a set in brief, full, abstract, or tagged form.
Modify Search—make changes to the most recent search
Basic Search—conduct a new search in the same database
Browse Index—browse all words, CAS Registry Number,
chemical name, and in bibliographic databases MeSH
headings/keywords and authors
Go to the Help file for that database
Go to TOXNET Home
TOXNET: Managing Results
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/toxnetmanualfeb2011.
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