The document, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is part of the USEPA National Air Toxics Strategy. The purpose of the document is to provide the public and state and local officials with information to assist them in planning how to respond to accidental releases of acutely toxic chemicals. It provides recommendations on how communities get organized, gather relavent information, and develop, evaluate and update contingency plans. It also describes the criteria used by the EPA to classify chemicals as acutely toxic and provides a list of 402 chemicals that meet these criteria.