June 15, 2013 (Vol. 33, No. 12)
URL:
http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov
Rating:
Strong Points: Fun to explore, lots of information
Weak Points: None
Summary:
Tox Town—doesn’t really sound like a pleasant place, does it? Well, if you take time to explore this website by the U.S. National Library of Medicine you’ll discover that we all actually live in Tox Town, surrounded by health hazards and toxic chemicals. Site visitors have the opportunity to explore six different environments, which each come with their own health hazards: city, farm, town, U.S. border regions, port, and U.S. southwest. With its colorful graphics the website appears, at first glance, to be directed exclusively to younger children; however, though the site does include teacher resources and can be used with students across a wide age range, the material presented in its full form is directed to a wider audience. This is evidenced by the fact that upon clicking each animated graphic, the site visitor is directed to information from sources such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s website.
