TOXMAP
Encyclopedia
TOXMAP is a geographic information system
from the United States National Library of Medicine
(NLM) that uses maps of the United States
to help users visually explore data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency
's (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory
and Superfund
programs.
TOXMAP helps users create nationwide, regional, or local area maps showing where TRI chemicals are released on-site into the air, water, ground, and by underground injection, as reported by industrial facilities in the United States. It also identifies the releasing facilities, color-codes release amounts for a single year or year range, and provides multi-year aggregate chemical release data and trends over time, starting with 1988. Maps can also show locations of Superfund sites on the National Priority List (NPL), listing all chemical contaminants present at these sites. Users can search the system by location (such as city, state, or ZIP code), chemical name, chemical name fragment, release medium, release amount, facility name and ID, and can filter results to those residing within a pre-defined or custom geographic region. Search results can be brought up in Google Maps
or Google Earth
, or saved for use in other tools. TOXMAP also overlays map data such as US Census population information, income figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and health data from the National Cancer Institute
and the National Center for Health Statistics
.
The data shown in TOXMAP comes from:
Geographic Information System
A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
from the United States National Library of Medicine
United States National Library of Medicine
The United States National Library of Medicine , operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is a division of the National Institutes of Health...
(NLM) that uses maps of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to help users visually explore data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
's (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory
Toxics Release Inventory
The Toxics Release Inventory is a publicly available database containing information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities in the United States.-Summary of requirements:...
and Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
programs.
TOXMAP helps users create nationwide, regional, or local area maps showing where TRI chemicals are released on-site into the air, water, ground, and by underground injection, as reported by industrial facilities in the United States. It also identifies the releasing facilities, color-codes release amounts for a single year or year range, and provides multi-year aggregate chemical release data and trends over time, starting with 1988. Maps can also show locations of Superfund sites on the National Priority List (NPL), listing all chemical contaminants present at these sites. Users can search the system by location (such as city, state, or ZIP code), chemical name, chemical name fragment, release medium, release amount, facility name and ID, and can filter results to those residing within a pre-defined or custom geographic region. Search results can be brought up in Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
or Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
, or saved for use in other tools. TOXMAP also overlays map data such as US Census population information, income figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and health data from the National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
and the National Center for Health Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics is a division of the United States federal agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . As such, NCHS is under the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
.
The data shown in TOXMAP comes from:
- EPA Toxics Release InventoryToxics Release InventoryThe Toxics Release Inventory is a publicly available database containing information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities in the United States.-Summary of requirements:...
(TRI) - EPA SuperfundSuperfundSuperfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
Program (National Priorities List/NPL) - NIEHS Superfund Research Program
- Hazardous Substances Data BankHazardous Substances Data BankThe Hazardous Substances Data Bank is a toxicology database on the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Toxicology Data Network . It focuses on the toxicology of potentially hazardous chemicals, and includes information on human exposure, industrial hygiene, emergency handling procedures,...
- NLM TOXLINE (Toxicology Bibliographic Information)
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease RegistryAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease RegistryThe Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is a federal public health agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The agency focuses on minimizing human health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances...
- National Atlas of the United StatesNational Atlas of the United StatesThe National Atlas of the United States is an online atlas published by the United States Department of the Interior.Since it is a publication of the United States Government, the atlas and the maps contained therein are in the public domain....
- Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databaseSurveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databaseThe Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database is a resource which allows statistical analysis to be performed upon data collected by cancer registries.It is maintained by the National Cancer Institute....
- National Center for Health StatisticsNational Center for Health StatisticsNational Center for Health Statistics is a division of the United States federal agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . As such, NCHS is under the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
Further reading
- Hochstein, Colette, Gemoets, Darren: TOXMAP: Environmental Health Maps Now Powered by ArcGIS Server. At: 2011 Esri Federal User Conference.
- Hochstein, Colette, Gemoets, Darren: Recent Enhancements to TOXMAP, an Environmental Health GIS. At: 2008 Esri Federal User Conference.
- Hochstein C, Szczur M. TOXMAP: A GIS-based gateway to environmental health resources. In: Thomas C; Standards for Success: GIS for Federal Progress and Accountability. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press; 2006; pages 50–56; ISBN 978-1-58948-087-2.
- Szczur, Marti; Krahe, Chris; Hochstein, Colette: TOXMAP: A GIS Information Portal to Environmental Health Databases. At: 2004 Esri International User ConferenceESRI International User ConferenceProduced by the Environmental Systems Research Institute , the Esri International User Conference is the world's largest event dedicated to geographic information system technology. It is held annually in the United States, usually for one week in July at the San Diego Convention Center in San...
.