Keywords
environmental databases, high production volume chemicals, pharmaceuticals, discrete mathematics, hasse diagram technique, posets, software tool
Start Date
1-7-2006 12:00 AM
Abstract
On one hand a lot of research has been performed and an enormous amount of data generated concerning protection of human health and the environment with respect to chemical substances. On the other hand great data gaps for environmental chemicals have been detected in the run-up to a new chemicals policy in the EU, known under the name of REACH. In our approach we elucidate the data availability on chemicals applying the Hasse Diagram Technique (HDT) which originates in discrete mathematics as an environmetrical and chemometrical method. The software package used is ProRank software for multi-criteria evaluation and decision support (http://www.prorank.biz). We evaluate 15 environmental and chemical Internet databases which respect to the existence of data on 24 chemicals (12 pharmaceuticals and 12 high production volume (HPV) chemicals) in these resources. The applied methodology reveals the best and the worst databases and conflicts among them, due to different information content. The consequences of the aggregation and weighting of attributes by applying special features of the ProRank program will be demonstrated. The information gap especially for pharmaceuticals entering the environment is demonstrated. Impulse should be given for future research in the generation of new and valuable data.
ProRank a Software Tool used for the Evaluation of Environmental Databases
On one hand a lot of research has been performed and an enormous amount of data generated concerning protection of human health and the environment with respect to chemical substances. On the other hand great data gaps for environmental chemicals have been detected in the run-up to a new chemicals policy in the EU, known under the name of REACH. In our approach we elucidate the data availability on chemicals applying the Hasse Diagram Technique (HDT) which originates in discrete mathematics as an environmetrical and chemometrical method. The software package used is ProRank software for multi-criteria evaluation and decision support (http://www.prorank.biz). We evaluate 15 environmental and chemical Internet databases which respect to the existence of data on 24 chemicals (12 pharmaceuticals and 12 high production volume (HPV) chemicals) in these resources. The applied methodology reveals the best and the worst databases and conflicts among them, due to different information content. The consequences of the aggregation and weighting of attributes by applying special features of the ProRank program will be demonstrated. The information gap especially for pharmaceuticals entering the environment is demonstrated. Impulse should be given for future research in the generation of new and valuable data.
