SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CHEMICAL SPILL RESPONSE INFORMATION NEEDS

The Chemical Hazards Response Information System (CHRIS) represents a major and critical step in the U.S. Coast Guard's acquisition and development of the necessary capability to respond adequately to discharges of hazardous chemicals on water. CHRIS has been specifically designed to meet the emergency needs of Coast Guard field personnel, currently providing them with information on 900 hazardous chemicals, with methods of predicting hazards resulting from accidental discharges, and with procedures for selecting and implementing responses to accidental discharges.