Health department preparedness for chemical emergencies often requires the involvement of multiple state agencies to assure that all aspects of environmental and human health are addressed in response. Given the scientific complexity of responding to a chemical emergency, effective risk communication to responders and to the public is a growing area of concern.
The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) began developing practices related to risk communication around chemical emergencies in 2002 as part of the emergency preparedness funding provided to states from CDC. MDCH created a variety of resources useful for its own response, and also useful to other agencies and localities. The rationale for creating these resources was the need for pre-established and vetted situational and medical treatment communications as part of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or Joint Information Center (JIC) response.
A large number of chemicals can present a threat to public health, and different types of chemical emergencies may require very different responses and modes of communication. As a result, MDCH invested its resources in developing directories of comprehensive chemical information and communications materials for various responders. Materials and guides created by MDCH include the following:
- The "Hazardous Chemical and Toxin Fact Sheet Matrix" is a spreadsheet of chemical fact sheets and medical management guidelines accessible online from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), e-medicine, the New Jersey Department of Health Right to Know program, and MDCH. The spreadsheet serves as a "one-stop shop" for vetted information on 130 chemicals that present a threat, and many of the fact sheets are available in Spanish.
- "Chemical Illness Response: Guidelines for Public Health Investigations of Acute Onset Illness Clusters of Chemical Etiology" provides chemical emergency response guidance for state and local public health professionals. Its focus includes characteristics of chemical cluster investigations, guidance for assessing whether an illness cluster is due to chemical exposure, guidelines for investigating a suspect chemical-associated illness cluster, and laboratory resources.
- The chemical terrorism and chemical emergencies informational brochure provides basic information for the lay public about chemical emergencies; environmental and health-related signs of a chemical release; and information about the various chemical classes, along with their distinctive odors, colors, signs and symptoms, and harmful health effects.
- A Chemical Information Source Matrix serves as a resource for responders in the event of a chemical emergency or threat that may lack an existing fact sheet. The matrix includes a variety of resources related to threats caused by toxic industrial chemicals or weapons of mass destruction. Resources include information about decontamination, emergency exposure guidance, field detection, hospital response, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), chemistry/toxicology, epidemiology, industrial hygiene, laboratory response, public/community resources, and veterinary issues. Multiple web links are included in the matrix, available at
These resources have been shared with the Interstate Chemical Terrorism Workgroup (ICTW), a group of state, federal, and other agency representatives convened to share knowledge and resources related to chemical emergency preparedness. (Among its many accomplishments, the ICTW drafted a list of 22 core competencies and benchmarks for risk communication during a chemical emergency.)Michigan's original Chemical Information Source Matrix was adopted by the ICTW, has been edited by ICTW participant experts, and is now used by many ICTW participating agencies.
MDCH developed its materials in response to a lack of resources where users could obtain comprehensive and accurate information about most known or unidentified chemical threat. By bringing together many different sources of complex information, MDCH established comprehensive and dynamic resource directories and guidance documents. These resources provide an instant, vetted source of guidelines and messages for risk communication and quick decision-making in event of a chemical emergency.
