Since 1993, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has maintained the only federal database of acute chemical incidents and resulting public health impacts. ATSDR provides funding to state health departments to collect and verify data on incidents and any resulting public health impacts (e.g., morbidity, mortality). States use several sources, including national databases, like the National Response Center and US Department of Transportation (DOT), and state sources, like environmental agencies, poison control centers, police, fire and hazmat units, hospitals, and news media. These datasets are very disparate on how they collect data. The purposes for which the data are collected also vary by agency. State data are typically entered within 48 hours of the incident into a web-based data entry system maintained by ATSDR. States then use their data to alert other officials of an incident, target prevention activities, and for response planning. ATSDR provides this data for researchers and trainers on its public website.
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