EPA Releases New Chemical Toxicity and Exposure Databases
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced the release of two new databases to make it easier to find data about chemicals. These databases, the Toxicity Forecaster database (ToxCastDB) and a database of chemical exposure studies (ExpoCastDB), can be used by scientists and the public to access chemical toxicity and exposure data.
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Databases Provide Access to Over 30 Years of Animal Toxicity Studies
Improved access to data about chemicals supports EPA Administrator Jackson’s priorities of protecting U.S. health by assuring the safety of chemicals. Users of the databases can now access 30 years worth of animal chemical toxicity studies that were previously only found in paper documents, data from rapid chemical testing, and various chemical exposure measurements through one online resource.
ToxCastDB Allows Users to Search Tests, Predict Toxicity of Chemicals, Etc.
ToxCastDB users can search and download data from over 500 rapid chemical tests conducted on more than 300 environmental chemicals. ToxCast uses advanced scientific tools to predict the potential toxicity of chemicals and to provide a cost-effective approach to prioritizing which chemicals of the thousands in use require further testing. ToxCast is currently screening 700 additional chemicals, and the data on these chemicals will be available in 2012.
ExpoCastDB Includes Data on Amounts of Chemicals Found in Food, Water, Etc.
ExpoCastDB consolidates human exposure data from studies that have collected chemical measurements from homes and child care centers. Data include the amounts of chemicals found in food, drinking water, air, dust, indoor surfaces and urine. ExpoCastDB users can obtain summary statistics of exposure data and download datasets. EPA will continue to add internal and external chemical exposure data and advanced user interface features to ExpoCastDB.
Databases Link Data Required for Considering Potential Chemical Risks
The new databases link exposure and toxicity data of chemical research, both of which are required when considering potential risks posed by chemicals. The databases are connected through EPA’s Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (ACToR), an online data warehouse that collects data on over 500,000 chemicals from over 500 public sources.