The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has established an Environmental Health Information Service to provide the newest toxicological data and environmental research to scientists, regulators, business and the public, via the internet.

Through the service, which is available in major libraries and by subscription, NIEHS has put on line its major publications and reports. The publications include the NIEHS journal Environmental Health Perspectives, and the specialized EHP Supplements. In addition, the National Toxicology Program, an interagency program headquartered at NIEHS, provides its two-year animal studies of environmental chemicals, including food and drug ingredients, as well as reports on short-term studies of various toxicities, and the Report on Carcinogens, a listing of known cancer-causing agents and those "reasonably anticipated to be." Gary Hook, Ph.D., co-editor-in-chief of the journals, said, "The Environmental Health Information Service provides a continually updated library of information-instant access to information that some businesses, scientists and students find indispensable."

Co-editor-in-chief George W. Lucier, Ph.D., said that for many organizations and individuals, the service will provide savings in time and effort. "Anywhere you have a personal computer and a modem, you can have a virtual library for environmental health sciences."

People can still get the EHP journal by itself through the Government Printing Office at the regular price of $100 a year or can obtain individual publications free on request, but the service offers these plus electronic access to a great deal of other data in a graduated menu of prices and services.

At the low end, a student can log-on for internet access alone at $25 a year. An individual wanting the full service internet, plus printed copies of the EHP journal pays $196 a year.

At the top end, to provide the service to 50 or more employees, a chemical company might pay $5,479 a year for the on-line data and printed journals.

Alternately, for anyone, free access is available at over 1,300 depository libraries throughout the U.S.

For information and subscription rates for the service, contact EHIS at: ehponline@niehs.nih.gov or visit the homepage at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/.

For credit card orders call (919) 541-3841, or fax (919) 541-0273. The postal address is OCR Subscription Services, Attn: Order Processing, P.O. Box 12510, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709-2510.