Public Health Surveillance and Emergency Response Assistance on a State Level through the National Toxic Substance Incidents Program

Located along the Gulf Coast, Louisiana is home to strong traditional industries, such as agriculture, petrochemicals and energy, and is also home to the largest single port in the United States (Louisiana Department of Economic Development, 2009). All of these industries use hazardous materials as part of their standard operating procedure. No matter how safe an industry is, accidents do happen, and when working with hazardous materials, these accidents can be disastrous. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) has recently developed and implemented emergency response guidelines for handling hazardous chemical emergencies. These guidelines were developed as an expansion of a collaborative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC / ATSDR). The cooperative agreement, known as the National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP) collects and combines information from many resources to protect people from harm caused by spills and leaks of toxic substances and is modeled partially after CDC / ATSDRÕs Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) Program (1990-2009). Objective: In order for there to be immediate public health involvement during hazardous chemical emergencies, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) has recently developed and implemented emergency response guidelines for handling hazardous chemical emergencies.