This is just one of those kinda interesting things to forward.

Beth T the OT

-----Original Message-----
From: NIH news releases and news items [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 9:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS DATABASE


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

NIH News

National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 1, 2003

CONTACT:
Robert Mehnert
or Kathy Cravedi
(301) 496-6308
[log in to unmask]


HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS DATABASE
New Information Service Provides Information On Health and
Safety of Everyday Products

BETHESDA, MARYLAND -- The National Institutes of Health
today unveiled a consumer's guide that provides easy-to-
understand information on the potential health effects of
more than 2,000 ingredients contained in more than 4,000
common household products.

Some household products contain substances that can pose
health risks if they are ingested or inhaled, or if they
come in contact with eyes and skin. The National Library of
Medicine's (NLM) Household Products Database
(http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov) provides information
in consumer friendly language on many of these substances
and their potential health effects. For more technical
information users can launch a search for a product or
ingredient in TOXNET from the Product Page in the database.

Information in the database is provided to NLM under a
collaborative agreement and is derived from publicly
available sources, including brand-specific labels and
information provided by manufacturers and their Web sites.
The list of products covered will be expanded, and
information for products currently in the database will be
updated at least annually.

"The Household Products Database is a natural outgrowth of
the work that the Library has done in recent years,
educating the public about environmental risks posed by
chemicals in the air, soil and water," explained NLM
Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg. "Last year, we unveiled
Tox Town (http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov), a site that
introduces consumers to the toxic chemicals and
environmental risks they might encounter in everyday life,
in everyday places. Tox Town looks at facilities like
schools, office buildings and factories, and the chemicals
likely to be in them. With the Household Products site, we
go inside the user's home and provide information about
common products and their potential health effects."

The Household Products Database enables users to learn
what's in the products under the kitchen sink, in the
garage, in the bathroom, and on the laundry room shelf. It
is designed to help answer questions such as:

-- What chemicals are contained in specific brands and in
what percentage?

-- Which products contain specified chemicals?

-- Who manufactures a specific brand? How can I contact the
manufacturer?

-- What are the potential health effects of the chemical
ingredients in a specific brand?

-- What other information is available about such chemicals
in the toxicology-related databases of the National Library
of Medicine?

For example, a homeowner trying to decide which algae-
killing product to use in her swimming pool could select
the "Landscape/Yard/Swimming Pool" category in Household
Products and click on "algaecide." She then could choose
several brands to examine for chemical content and possible
health hazards.

The record for each product would show her the ingredients
from something called the Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS). Designed to provide workers and emergency personnel
with the proper procedures for handling or working with a
particular substance, these sheets are produced by the
manufacturer of the product as required by Federal law.

NLM Associate Director for Specialized Information
Services, Dr. Jack Snyder, said, "NLM has provided an
important set of databases for toxicologists and other
scientists for many years. The target audience of the
Household Products Database, however, is both scientists
and the general public. The database allows users to browse
a product category, such as 'Pesticides' or 'Personal
Care,' by alphabetical listing or by brand name. Products
can also be searched by type, manufacturer, product
ingredient, or chemical name.

Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the National Library of
Medicine, the world's largest library of the health
sciences, is a component of the National Institutes of
Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

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