general

The NST/Engineers, Inc. reviewer, an EPA First Responder, found the Ninth Edition of Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials-CD ROM version (SAX CD) to be a powerful database of easily retrievable, detailed, and pertinent information. The reviewer envisions the target users of the SAX CD deriving the most benefit to be: chemical operators, chemical process engineers, chemists, clinical toxicologists, fire companies, first responders, HAZMAT teams, industrial hygienists, plant managers, physicians, police departments, process safety managers, research professionals, risk management planners, safety engineers, transportation officers, and treatment storage and disposal facility (TSDF) personnel.

The 22,380 materials included are categorized at a minimum according to: Listing Name, Hazard Rating, Chemical Name, Molecular Formula, Molecular Weight, Chemical and Physical Properties, Synonyms, Toxicity Data with References, (instantly accessible by screen "pop-ups"), and Safety Profile.

Where available, NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limits, OSHA Permissible Exposure Levels, ACGIH Threshold Limit Values, (all expressed as Time Weighted Averages) and German MAK exposure limits are included. Consensus Reports (Community RTK, EPA TSCA and Genetic Inventory list) along with DOT hazard Classifications and UN/NA 4-digit identifier (for HM-181), CAS Registry number, and Class (carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen, primary irritant, food additive, etc.) are also included.

For forty years, NST/Engineers, Inc. personnel and associates have found editions of SAX to be an invaluable resource. The Ninth Edition on CD ROM provides the instant retrieval capabilities sought by the electronic communication age. The program includes an intelligent default, twelve-characteristic, search engine. It highlights each "hit" in the text and has a "tracking" system that allows the user to look forward or to "backtrack".

In the NST/Engineers, Inc. trials, SAX CD was used in "mock" HAZMAT spills. The reviewer found that the initial assessments of the spills were conducted many times faster by using the SAX CD. Armed with a laptop computer, as are most police and other emergency responders, the addition of this software will greatly decrease response time and reduce the confusion that routinely surrounds hazardous materials incidents. An increase in facility and public safety will be provided by the fingertip access to the knowledge base in the SAX CD .

The SAX CD works on both PC and Macintosh platforms.