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Introduction – Protective Action Criteria (PAC) Database System


This site allows users to quickly search The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE’s) database of Protective Action Criteria (PAC) values. It includes searchable fields for chemical name, chemical formula, Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number (CASRN), UN number, SAX number, and Health Code Number (HCN). *

PACs for emergency planning of chemical release events are based on the chemical exposure limit values provided in:
  • Final and interim Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs). AEGLs (see http://www.epa.gov/oppt/aegl/pubs/chemlist.htm) are developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). AEGLs are defined for five time periods: 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours, and 8 hours. The 60-minute AEGL values have been selected for use in the PAC database.
  • Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs). ERPGs are produced by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Emergency Planning Committee (see http://www.aiha.org/Content/InsideAIHA/Volunteer+Groups/ERPcomm.htm).
  • Temporary Emergency Exposure Limit (TEEL) data sets.  TEELs (see http://orise.orau.gov/emi/scapa/teels.htm) are developed by the DOE Subcommittee on Consequence Assessment and Protective Actions (SCAPA).
The PAC data set used to be called the “TEEL data set;” its name has been changed to emphasize the inclusion of AEGL and ERPG data, though the overwhelming majority of the chemicals (well over 90%) presented in the data set use TEEL values to provide emergency exposure limits.

This site also provides a list of PAC tables in PDF and Excel formats.

PAC values in the searchable database and tables correspond to Revision 25, published 08/2009.

In addition to obtaining PAC values for specific chemicals, report options in the searchable database allow users to view and print additional information pertaining to chemical hazards and properties and emergency response.

Background

The procedures for developing TEELs are described in DOE-HDBK-1046-2008, Temporary Emergency Exposure Limits: Methods and Practice.

A summary of the TEEL methodology, important notes on TEEL values, and other useful information are provided in the Introduction to Revision 25.

Further information, including links to key contacts, are provided on the PAC webpage at http://orise.orau.gov/emi/scapa/teels.htm.

* NOTE: Health Code Numbers (HCNs) are used in the Chemical Mixture Methodology (CMM) to examine the additive impact that each chemical component in a chemical mixture may have on specific target organs. HCNs are NOT used in any way to develop PACs (AEGLs, ERPGs, or TEELs). To learn more about HCNs and how they are used in the CMM, visit http://orise.orau.gov/emi/scapa/hcn.htm.
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