RTECS, also known as Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances, is a database of toxicity information compiled from the open scientific literature that is available for charge. Until 2001 it was maintained by US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and is now maintained by the private company Elsevier MDL .

Contents

Six types of toxicity data are included in the file:

1. primary irritation
2. mutagenic effects
3. reproductive effects
4. tumorigenic effects
5. acute toxicity
6. other multiple dose toxicity

Specific numeric toxicity values such as LD50, LC50 , TDLo , and TCLo are noted as well as species studied and the route of administration used. For all data the bibliographic source is listed.

History

RTECS was an activity mandated by the US Congress, established by Section 20(a)(6) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (PL 91-596). The original edition, known as the Toxic Substances List was published on June 28, 1971, and included toxicological data for approximately 5,000 chemicals. The name changed later to its current name Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances. In January 2001 the database contained 152,970 chemicals. In December 2001 RTECS was transfered from NIOSH to the private company Elsevier MDL and is now only accessible for charge on an annual subscription base.

See also

External links

• RTECS overview
• Elsevier MDL website