REGISTER OF LISTS (RoL)
USER MANUAL
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation
Office of Regulatory Management & Evaluation
Information Policy Branch
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
OCT 28 1992
OFFICE OF
POLICY, PLANNING AND EVALUATION
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: The Se
FROM:
THRU:
TO:
Update of the Register of Lists
Systems Manager
Information"Policy Branch (PM-223Y)
David Schwarz, Chief i^-Qj^
rancn (PM-
Information Policy Branc
RoL Users Throughout EPA
(PM-223Y)
Enclosed is a copy of the second quarterly update of RoL along
with the revised User's Manual. The procedures for loading this
update are given on p. 2 of the manual.
As might be expected, the real world applications made of the
first release of RoL have revealed a number of chemical
nomenclature and identification discrepancies. In particular,
there are discrepancies between the CERCLA listing and the
individual component lists that comprise the CERCLA listing. For
example, there are.different names and identifiers used for the
same chemical substances. We are setting up a process *—
resolving these problems.
for
If all goes well, the next update you receive (in
approximately 3 months), will incorporate Version 2.0 of RoL.
Version 2.0 contains the enhancements requested by the Workgroup;
the main features being a faster search routine, and improvements
in the user interface.
If you have any questions on loading the system, or if you
would like to request a demonstration of RoL for your group please
call me on (202) 260-2743.
Enclosures
Printed on Recycled Paper
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction.... 1
2. Operating Environment and Installation 1
A - Hardware and Software Requirements....1
B - Installation 2
C - Running the RoL 3
3. Using the RoL 3
A- Demonstration Program 3
B - Qn-Line HELP 4
C - Sharing RoL Reports 4
D - RoL Example Applications 4
Appendices
A - System Development Highlights 9
B - Glossary of Terms 10
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1. Introduction
Welcome to the wonderful world of w'RoL. The PC tool that
associates EPA' chemicals and regulations with major Agency activities.
If this is your first experience with RoL we welcome you to the
expanding group of RoL Users. For those of you who are acquainted
with the existing version of RoL, we are pleased to announce that this
package contains the results of our second quarterly update.
The procedures for loading and using RoL are in Section 2.
Examples of how to use the system are in Section 3.
Background materials on the development of the system and a
glossary of terms are contained in the Appendices.
2. Operating Environment and Installation
A - HARDWARE and SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
To use RoL, an IBM compatible PC must have:
o a hard drive with 4 megabytes of available capacity,
o a minimum of 640K random access memory (RAM), and
o an IBM Disk Operating System (DOS) Version 3.3 or later.
The current software for the RoL is ECLIPS Version 1.50, Copyright
(c) MicroReg, Inc. 1990,1991, Data Base Version (Oct. 1,1992). ECLIPS
is written in CLIPPER, which meets the EPA software standard for a PC-
based database. This version of ECLIPS is licensed to EPA for use only
by EPA employees and by grantees, consultants, and contractors on
behalf of EPA at EPA's direction. Any use of this software not in
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conformance with these restrictions is a violation of U.S. Copyright Law
and will subject the violator to civil and criminal penalties under federal
law. Others wishing to use this software must obtain a license to use the
commercial counterpart of this software and should contact:
MicroReg, Inc.
1716Tipton Drive
Crofton, MD21114
(301) 261-3529
The core data files contained in the RoL are public information and
are in the public domain.
B - INSTALLATION
To install the RoL, place the enclosed ECLIPS software diskette
(labeled Program and Data Disk) into your A or B drive and type:
A: IN STALL or B: IN STALL. You will need to respond to inquires as to
which drive you want to install the working program and the database.
(NOTE: RoL is used when referring to the software program and the
database; ECLIPS refers to the software program only.)
ECLIPS Version 1.50 software requires that your CONFIG.SYS file
have at least: FILES = 54 and BUFFERS = 24. If your CONFIG.SYS file
does not satisfy these requirements, the ECLIPS installation program will
ask to modify your CONFIG.SYS file. If you respond YES, then the
installation program will automatically change your CONFIG.SYS file for
you to conform to the above requirements. This change should not
impact on your other uses of your PC.
The INSTALL program will tell you that the installation is complete
and if it was successful. (NOTE: you use the same INSTALL program to
load RoL for the first time or to replace the existing RoL system already
on your computer.) If you encounter any problems in implementing the
INSTALL program please call Jim Daley on (202)260-2743 for assistance.
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C - RUNNING RoL
To run the RoL, you must first bring up the ECLIPS directory.
Assuming that the directory is on your C drive (the hard drive on many
computers) the steps would appear as follows:
Your screen shows: C:\>
You type: C:\>cd C:\> ECLIPS
(this puts you into the ECLIPS directory)
Your screen shows: C:\>ECLIPS>
You type: C:\> ECLIPS > ECLIPS
(this will start the loading process)
To terminate your session on ECLIPS you return to the Main Menu
by pressing Alt(F2), and then pressing the ESC Key. This will take you
back to the ECLIPS directory.
Your screen shows: C:\> ECLIPS >
You type: C:\ > ECLIPS >cd C:\
Your screen will show: C:\>
There is a program in the ECLIPS directory that will permit you to
modify the screen colors. You can access this program from the ECLIPS
directory by typing:
C:\ECLIPS >SETCOLOR
3. Using the RoL
A - DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM
Initially, we urge you to take a few minutes to step through the
tutorial demonstration. It can save you time in the long run.
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For the tutorial/demonstration, place the DEMO disk in drive A or
B and type:
A:DEMO A or B:DEMO B (for color monitors)
A:DEMO A MONO or B:DEMO B MONO (for monochrome
monitors)
B - ON-LINE HELP
ECLIPS incorporates a HELP function to assist new users. To
obtain HELP press F1 and select the appropriate topic.
If you cannot resolve your problem from the tips given on the HELP
screens, call Jim Daley on (202)260-2743.
C - SHARING RoL REPORTS
You may wish to save the results of a search to share with a
colleague or for further manipulation. The F3 key, REPORTS, gives you
several options of saving whatever information you have on the screen.
You can print it immediately, or you can direct the output to a .TXT file;
you will be asked to name the file.
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D - RoL EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS
We have included a few examples of RoL applications to provide
some practice for you.
EXAMPLE 1
Q1. Is BERYLLIUM NITRATE TRIHYDRATE in the
RoL database?
Q2. Which lists contain this chemical?
A1. Yes, BERYLLIUM NITRATE TRIHYDRATE is
in the RoL database.
(You can demonstrate this fact by getting the
Chemical Universe on your screen and
typing the first few letters of the name into
the small SEARCH window (you could use
BERY) and pressing the RETURN key. This
will bring the cursor to the first chemical
entry that begins with the letters entered. In
this case, BERYLLIUM AND COMPOUNDS.
You then move the cursor down to the
chemical sought).
A2. RoL reveals that two chemical lists contain
BERYLLIUM NITRATE TRIHYDRATE. (This
fact can be demonstrated by placing the
cursor on BERYLLIUM NITRATE
TRIHYDRATE
and pressing F8 for the next information
level up, in this case Lists. The system
shows that the CERCLA and the CWA 311
lists contain BERYLLIUM NITRATE
TRIHYDRATE.
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EXAMPLE 2 Q3. How many chemical lists does the Office of
Water have in the RoL database?
A3 The Office of Water has 7 lists.
(The count can be made by getting the
Universe of AA Offices on your screen,
placing the cursor on the Office of Water and
pressing F10 for the next information level
down, in this case Offices, and then in turn,
placing the cursor on each Office and
pressing F10 for the next information level
down, in this case Lists, and accumulating
the counts.
EXAMPLE 3 04. How many chemicals are there on the list
entitled CAA 112?
A4. There are 189 chemicals.
(To confirm this figure, select Lists from the
Main Menu, put the cursor on CAA 112 and
press the F10 key for Chemicals and read
the number of records in that List at the
lower right hand corner of the screen.)
EXAMPLE 4 Q5. How many chemicals are common to the 2
Drinking Water Lists, i.e. DPDWR and
DSDWR?
AS. Two, COPPER AND COMPOUNDS, AND
FLUORIDE are on both chemical lists.
(This can be shown by getting the Chemical
Universe on the screen and pressing F4 for
the Query Function. You need to move the
cursor down to the line labeled "List
Combinations" and type in a T for
intersection. The system will request your
input to identify the lists of interest; you
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simply put the cursor on the appropriate lists
and press the F5 key to link the lists to the
search. After you have selected all of the
lists of interest (in this case 2), press F2 to
return you to the Query screen, and then
press F10 to execute the search.)
EXAMPLE 5 Q6. Using the same two chemical lists given in
EXAMPLE 4 above, determine the size off the
union between the two lists.
A6. The union comprises 75 chemicals; it could
be represented as:
NPDWR NSDWR
(60 chemicals) (2 chemicals) (13 chemicals)
(The union can be found by first getting the
Universe of Chemicals on your screen, and
then pressing F4 for the Query Function.
You then move the cursor down to "List
Combinations" and type MUN for Union. The
program will request your input to identify
the Lists of interest; you simply put the
cursor on the appropriate Lists and press F5
to link the Lists to the search. After you
have selected the Lists of interest (in this
case 2) press F2 to return to the Query
screen and then press F10 to execute the
search.)
(To verify all of the numbers given above,
you would need to determine the number of
chemicals in each list using the procedure
given in EXAMPLE 3, and also determine the
size of the intersection (See EXAMPLE 4).
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EXAMPLE 6
Q7. How many chemicals in SARA 302 (A) are
also identified as IRIS chemicals?
A7. 91.
(To obtain this count you first need to call
the Chemical Universe from the Main Menu.
You then press F4 to request the Query
Function. You need to insert "Y" indicating
that you want those chemicals listed in IRIS,
and an "I" indicating Intersections in the "List
Combinations". When you request
intersections, the system will ask you to
indicate which Lists you want to search; you
need to place the cursor on the appropriate
List and press F5 to link that List to the
search. Pressing F2 will return you to the
Query screen and then pressing F10 will
initiate the search.
EXAMPLE 7 Q8.
What is the "Difference" between the two
Drinking Water lists, i.e. NPDWR and
NSDWR?
A8. The difference can be determined by getting
the Query Function on you monitor and
moving the cursor to "List Combinations"
and pressing "D" for difference. The
program will take you immediately to the
Universe of Lists and you will need to make
your selections using the F5 key. NOTE: the
order in which the lists are selected will
determine the results. Both differences are
given below. You can deduce these results
from examining the Venn diagram in
EXAMPLE 5 and applying the definition of a
"difference", i.e. The difference between two
lists is the chemicals, or the number of
chemicals that are unique to the first list
specified.
NPDWR - NSDWR = 60; NSPWR - NPDWR = 13
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Appendix A
Highlights of the RoL System Development
The number of EPA* "regulated" chemicals and the demand for
information concerning them has mushroomed. The early days at EPA,
when life was simplier, there were fewer than a dozen chemicals of
concern. There are now over 3,200 that are in some way "regulated" by
EPA, and many of these are "regulated" by more than one EPA program.
Upon passage of the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community-
Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) that required EPA to regulate 3 additional
chemical lists, it became evident that there was need for a computerized
database for all chemicals regulated by EPA. There was no single,
authoritative Agency database that could provide timely answers to such
basic questions as, "Does EPA regulate chemical X?" The answer
required contacts with all program offices~a frustrating task for an
EPA'er, an impossible task for an outsider. To remedy this
shortcoming, the Office of Information Resource Management (OIRM)
developed a prototype system called Chemical Listing Information
Pointer System (CLIPS) to sell EPA management on the need for such
information and a method for obtaining it.
The Office of Program Planning, and Evaluation (OPPE) recognized
the need, formed an Agency-wide workgroup and charged that group
with designing and implementing such a system. In keeping with OIRM
protocol on system development, the Workgroup conducted a needs
assessment to provide input to the design of the system, and an options
analysis to select the appropriate software platform.
A second prototype, ECU PS, that contained most of the design
requirements specified by the Workgroup, was licensed for EPA's
evaluation and use. This software package and the listings of EPA'
regulated chemicals is referred to as Version 1.5 of RoL. EPA'ers have
field tested this Version on real world applications.
The Information Policy Branch distributed the first of the quarterly
updates of RoL in June 1992.
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Appendix B
Glossary of RoL Related Terms
1. IRIS - Integrated Bisk information .System. A chemical in RoL
that is also in IRIS is coded with a "Y" for yes in the detail
screen for that chemical.
2. RQ's - Exportable .Quantities means the amount established by
regulation or statute, of a hazardous or extremely hazardous
substance, which if released in that or greater amount
requires reporting to the National Response Center, the State
Emergency Planning Commission under CERCLA and Title III
of SARA. (40 CFR 302.4, Appendix A and B)
3. TPQ's - Threshold Ranning Quantity means the amount
established by regulation or statute, of an extremely hazardous
substance, which if present at a facility, subjects the facility to
participating the emergency planning process of a community. Any
facility with such amount must notify the State Emergency
Response Commission or the Local Emergency Planning
Commission that it has a threshold amount of such substances. (40
CFR 355, Appendix A and B)
4. Intersection - A term that refers to the chemicals, or the number
of chemicals, that are common to a group of
lists.
5. Union - A term that refers to the chemicals, or the number of
chemicals that comprise all unique chemicals among a
group of lists.
6. Difference - The difference between two lists is the chemicals, or
the number of chemicals that are unique to the first list
specified. (NOTE: the order in which the lists are
specified on the query screen is critical to the outcome.)
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