Details:

Corporate Authors:
United States. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Division of Health Studies.
Description:
This document is provided by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ONLY as an historical reference for the public health community. It is no longer being maintained and the data it contains may no longer be current and/or accurate.

Since 1990, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has maintained an active, state-based Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system to describe the public health consequences associated with the release of hazardous substances. Five state health departments participated in the pilot phase of the surveillance system and began data collection on January 1, 1990. Currently 16 states participate in HSEES. During 1993 - 1996, 14 states participated in HSEES. In 1996, New Hampshire left the HSEES program. In 2000, New Jersey, Utah and Louisiana were added to the HSEES program.

The HSEES system is a computerized database used to monitor the acute public health consequences of emergency hazardous substances releases into the environment. The system does not study chronic human health effects or the environmental effects of these releases. HSEES is used to describe the morbidity and mortality experienced by employees, responders, and the general public that result from hazardous substances emergency events. The system documents all reportable hazardous substances releases in the state except for those involving only petroleum products (for example, natural gas, propane, jet fuel, and gasoline). HSEES events can occur at fixed facilities or during transportation.

There are four objectives of the Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance system. These are:

! To describe the distribution of hazardous substances emergency events within the states.

! To describe the morbidity and mortality experienced by employees, responders, and the

general public that result from hazardous emergency releases.

! To analyze and describe risk factors associated with the morbidity and mortality.

! To develop strategies to reduce the subsequent morbidity and mortality.

Emergency events captured by HSEES are classified according to whether they occur at fixed facilities (for example, factories) or during transportation. Events are eligible for inclusion if the releases are uncontrolled or illegal and would require removal, cleanup, or neutralization according to federal, state, or local law. Threatened releases are included in the system if they involve actions such as evacuations which are taken to protect the public health. A substance is considered hazardous if it can be reasonably expected to cause death or injury upon exposure.

This cumulative report summarizes the characteristics of hazardous substances releases and the associated public health consequences of events reported to the during the period between 1993 to 1997.


Subjects:
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Chemical Hazard Release Environmental Exposure/adverse Effects Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances/adverse Effects Public Health Surveillance
Document Type:
Report
Name as Subject:
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance System
Place as Subject:
United States
Collection(s):
Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:a2b8867d52746007ccd2f7067f025ab438e8ae01ae3a9e30cd247ec2bff97084
Download URL:
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/26636/cdc_26636_DS1.pdf
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