Complete Indicator Profile of Hazardous Substance Releases
Definition
HSEES defines hazardous substances emergency events as acute uncontrolled or illegal releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances. Events involving releases of only petroleum are excluded. Events are included if (a) the amount of substance released (or that might have been released) needed (or would have needed) to be removed, cleaned up, or neutralized according to federal, state, or local laws or (b) the release of a substance was threatened, but the threat lead to an action (for example, evacuation) that could have affected the health of employees, emergency responders, or members of the general public.Numerator
Number of hazardous substance releases.Denominator
Not applicable.Data Interpretation Issues
Petroleum is not defined as a hazardous substance by the HSEES program, and so releases of petroleum products only are not included in the data. Data includes only acute releases, defined as lasting less than 72 hours. HSEES is focused on releases that involve an industry, and so small quantity release limitations apply. The number of HSEES is limited by reporter's adherence to reporting requirements. HSEES reporting is supported by state and federal environmental laws, by the Utah injury reporting rule R386-703 section (i) Chemical Poisoning, and by voluntary reporting.For more details on the Utah injury reporting rule R386-703 section (i) Chemical Poisoning go to http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r386/r386-703.htm#T3
For more details on the State and Federal environmental laws and rules go to http://www.deq.utah.gov/Laws_Rules/
Why Is This Important?
Hazardous substance releases may not occur often, but when they do occur, they have the potential for causing harmful health effects. The Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system actively collects information to describe the public health consequences of acute (less than 72 hours) releases of hazardous substances in participating states. This indicator summarizes the characteristics of events reported in Utah. Information about acute events involving hazardous substances were collected, including the substance(s) released, number of victims, and number and types of injuries. The data were computerized using an ATSDR-provided Web-based data entry system. This data provides needed information to create prevention activities, which can decrease injury and death as a result of a hazardous material release. Knowing what kind of hazardous materials commonly exist in Utah, how and where they are released, and the effects they have on employees, responders, and the general public will create opportunities for improved policies, procedures, and training for a cleaner, safer environment.Healthy People 2010 Objective 15.7:
Nonfatal poisonings (age adjusted per 100,000 standard population)U.S. Target for 2010: 292.0/100,000 population
State Target for 2010: 54.0/100,000 population
How Do We Compare With U.S.?
The Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system is directed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Fourteen state health departments currently have cooperative agreements with ATSDR to participate in HSEES: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. For more information on the National HSEES program, go to http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov//HS/HSEES/index.htmlAvailable Services
Utah Poison Control Center: Poison Emergencies, Questions and Prevention Information Call 1-800-222-1222Utah Division of Environmental Response and Remediation: 24 Hour Emergency Phone Number for Incident Spills
(801)536-4123
More Information
Utah Department of Health Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance Program website: http://health.utah.gov/epi/enviroepi/activities/hsees/hsees2.htmAgency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry website:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov//HS/HSEES/index.html
Utah Poison Control Center website: http://uuhsc.utah.edu/poison/
Utah Division of Environmental Response and Remediation website: http://www.environmentalresponse.utah.gov/
For more details on the Utah injury reporting rule R386-703 section (i) Chemical Poisoning go to http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r386/r386-703.htm#T3
For more details on the State and Federal environmental laws and rules go to http://www.deq.utah.gov/Laws_Rules/
Related Indicators
Related IBIS-PH Indicator Profile Links for Relevant Population Characteristics:
- Air Quality: Ozone
- Air Quality: PM2.5
- Carbon Monoxide Deaths
- Carbon Monoxide: Poison Control Exposures
- Carbon Monoxide: Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits
- Poisoning Incidents
- Unintentional Injury Deaths
- Unintentional Injury Emergency Department Visits
Graphical Data Views
8-Year Summary of Hazardous Substance Releases by County, Utah, 2000-2007
| County | Number of Hazardous Substance Releases |
|---|---|
| Beaver | 5 |
| Box Elder | 14 |
| Cache | 20 |
| Carbon | 20 |
| Daggett | 2 |
| Davis | 368 |
| Duchesne | 8 |
| Emery | 10 |
| Garfield | 3 |
| Grand | 8 |
| Iron | 19 |
| Juab | 5 |
| Kane | 2 |
| Millard | 32 |
| Morgan | 4 |
| Piute | 0 |
| Rich | 0 |
| Salt Lake | 1,148 |
| San Juan | 1,534 |
| Sanpete | 6 |
| Sevier | 2 |
| Summit | 20 |
| Tooele | 159 |
| Uintah | 23 |
| Utah | 109 |
| Wasatch | 5 |
| Washington | 12 |
| Wayne | 0 |
| Weber | 62 |
Record Count: 29
Data Notes
The Utah Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) program is supported with funds from the CERCLA trust fund, and the Office of Terrorism Planning and Emergency Response of the CDC, and provided by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Cooperative Agreement Number U61TS874146. This map was made using an interval break method called "natural breaks" where classes are based on natural groupings inherent in the data.Data Sources
Utah Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) program;Hazardous Substance Releases by Year, Utah, 2000-2007
| Year | Number of Releases |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 305 |
| 2001 | 534 |
| 2002 | 446 |
| 2003 | 474 |
| 2004 | 504 |
| 2005 | 517 |
| 2006 | 431 |
| 2007 | 392 |
Record Count: 8
Data Notes
The Utah Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) program is supported with funds from the CERCLA trust fund, and the Office of Terrorism Planning and Emergency Response of the CDC, and provided by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Cooperative Agreement Number U61TS874146. Reporting requirements for releases can impact yearly number of releases reported hereData Sources
Utah Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) program;Number of Victims of Hazardous Substance Releases by Substance Category, Summary for 2001-2007, Utah
| Hazardous Substance | Number of Victims per Substance Category |
|---|---|
| Acids | 69 |
| Ammonia | 25 |
| Bases | 8 |
| Chlorine | 25 |
| Other Inorganic Substances | 81 |
| Paints and Dyes | 1 |
| Agricultural Chemicals and Pesticides | 9 |
| PCBs | 0 |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 29 |
| Other | 100 |
| Mixture | 35 |
| Formulations | 0 |
| Hetero-Organics | 10 |
| Hydrocarbons | 3 |
| Oxy-Organics | 98 |
| Polymers | 31 |
Record Count: 16
Data Notes
The Utah Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) program is supported with funds from the CERCLA trust fund, and the Office of Terrorism Planning and Emergency Response of the CDC, and provided by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Cooperative Agreement Number U61TS874146.Data Sources
Utah Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) program;
Page Content Updated On 01/28/09,
Published on 04/16/09
