RiskWorld Information

RiskWorld has delved into a national treasure trove of human health and environmental data that once was the domain of risk analysts and other professionals but is increasingly used by nursing moms, hobbyists, and other consumers. In a two-part series, RiskWorld examines the recent expansion of topics and accessibility of these resources, offering readers an overview of what's new, what's often overlooked, and what's the most popular of the online databases at the National Library of Medicine's TOXNET (TOXicology Data NETwork) web site, which is available at no charge to the public and professionals alike. "Many people don't realize that our resources are not just for professionals," says Stephanie Publicker, a technical information specialist in the National Library of Medicine's Office of Clinical Toxicology. "For instance, our LactMed database is a database of drugs and chemicals to which breast-feeding mothers might be exposed.