In this issue:

The Director's Report

The Scholarly Communication Crisis and UConn's Biomed Central Institutional Membership.

Household Products Database

Adding Content to your PDA.

Pubmed Update

New Look for the Library Homepage.

Web Watcher

Color Printing Now Available

E-Books: 3 New Significant Additions.

New Books in the Library.

Let us do it for you! Library services for users on the go.

Looking for material we don't own? Find it in Worldcat!

Stat-Ref!:New Features and New Look.

Update Archives

Household Products Database by Robert M. Joven, MLS Information and Education Services Librarian

Do you want to know what chemicals are contained in specific brands of cleaning products? Are the household cleaners you use at home safe when inhaled? Have you ever wondered if the laundry detergents you use contain hazardous materials? The National Institutes of Health unveiled a database called Household Products Database, which contains health and safety information on household products. It provides easy to understand information developed for consumers on the potential health effects of more than 2,000 ingredients contained in more than 4,000 common household products.

Some household products contain substances that can pose health risks if they are ingested or inhaled, or if they come in contact with eyes and skin. Information in the database is provided to NLM under a collaborative agreement and is derived from publicly available sources, including brand-specific labels and information provided by manufacturers and their Web sites. The list of products covered will be expanded, and information for products currently in the database will be updated at least annually.

The Household Products Database enables users to learn what's in the products under the kitchen sink, in the garage, in the bathroom, and on the laundry room shelf. It is designed to help answer questions such as:

• What chemicals are contained in specific brands and in what percentage?
• Which products contain specified chemicals?
• Who manufactures a specific brand? How can I contact the manufacturer?
• What are the potential health effects of the chemical ingredients in a specific brand?
• What other information is available about such chemicals in the toxicology-related databases of the National Library of Medicine?

Access to this database is available free to the public at
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/.