Abstract
Since the 70's the Commission of the European Communities has been developing an original databank on the impact of chemical substances on man and his environment. The original project was conceived as a research topic and was executed both by the Indirect Action programme of the Commission and by the Commission's own research establishment in Ispra (Italy). The data bank has been operational for more than 5 years through Datacentralen in Copenhagen and can be used worldwide. The unit who has been building ECDIN has acquired a considerable experience in databank building and chemical information handling.