January 15, 2006 (Vol. 26, No. 2)
Rating:
Strong Points: Excellent organization
Weak Points: None
Summary:
I’ll be the first to admit that sites specializing in chemical safety are not the most exciting to read (or probably design, for that matter). They do however, offer important sources of critical information and are also often sprawling with important info. I told myself this, as I dove into IPCS INCHEM, which fits the mold of other sites of this type. There’s a lot of chemical information, organized into several formats – Concise International Chemical Assessment Documents (CICADs), Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) monographs, Health and Safety Guides (HSGs), International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs), Pesticide Documents (PDs), Poison Information Monographs (PIMs), and some other minor categories. A search engine allows visitors to locate relevant information. They may also click on one of the categories, and select the desired information from an alphabetical list. Despite its mountain of data, IPCS INCHEM works very well, thanks to its tidy organization.
