The Rachel database now contains detailed information about 1058 toxic chemicals. The information is derived from the U.S. Coast Guard's CHRIS Manual, which stands for Chemical Hazard Response Information System. The Coast Guard developed the Manual for use by its personnel when called to respond to chemical emergencies. The 1058 chemicals include all the common chemicals found polluting the environment today.

The Rachel database, which is accessible to the public free, is a full-text searching system; every word in every document is indexed. Thus if a user asks for information on "arsenic trioxide," the computer will show all documents that contain the chemical name arsenic trioxide, including the section on arsenic trioxide from the CHRIS Manual.
--Peter Montague, Ph.D.

Descriptor terms: rachel; database; chemicals; chris manual; chemical hazard response information system;