Missouri Hazardous Material Incident Surveillance
Missouri Hazardous Material Incident Surveillance (MHMIS) was established in August 2012 at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS), Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology (BEE). MHMIS tracks releases of hazardous materials that have public health consequences.
MHMIS aims to decrease the risk to human populations by collecting and analyzing data on toxic substance incidents. MHMIS uses prevention outreach and education to raise awareness of the hazards associated with toxic substances. Key MHMIS features include:
- Tracking releases of toxic substances
- Analyzing public health risks and impact
- Contributing to a national database
- Conducting event notification and follow-up with agencies involved in hazmat incident response
- Performing educational, outreach, and prevention activities with community partners
MHMIS contributes to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP). NTSIP began on a national level in 2010 and was modeled in part after ATSDR’s Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) Program. HSEES conducted surveillance of hazardous substance releases nationally from 1990 to 2009; Missouri participated in HSEES from 1993 to 2006. Missouri is one of ten states currently participating in NTSIP. NTSIP has three components: a national database, state surveillance, and a chemical exposures response team. For more information on how these initiatives reduce the harm caused by toxic substance releases, visit the NTSIP website.