HAWC

HAWC is a free web-based system for organizing and synthesizing data in human health and environmental risk assessments. Its modules cover study quality evaluation, data extraction from human epidemiology, animal bioassay and in vitro studies, evidence synthesis, and dose-response analysis. Assessment teams can assign managers, members and reviewers role-based access to manage, view or edit material. Anyone can view published content without an account. External users seeking to collaborate on an ongoing assessment with EPA scientists need a Login.gov account and must request access to the EPA HAWC user group; an EPA system administrator reviews requests. Interactive visualizations connect study, experiment, endpoint and dose information. Available assessment datasets can be downloaded as Microsoft Excel files, and figures can be exported to PDF or other formats. EPA uses HERO, SWIFT Review and DistillerSR for literature searches and screening before using HAWC to synthesize study information. Benchmark dose modeling is conducted endpoint by endpoint at the chemical manager's discretion, and released outputs can be viewed publicly. HAWC supports most modern browsers, with Google Chrome preferred; functionality errors have been reported in Internet Explorer.

HAWC brings assessment data, team roles and interactive displays into a web-based workflow. Public viewing is open, while collaboration with EPA scientists requires a separate access request.

HAWC is intended for human health and environmental risk assessors working in assessment teams. It also suits people who want to explore assessment material made public without creating an account.

HAWC is a web-based system for organizing evidence in human health and environmental risk assessments. It is strongest for assessment teams that need structured study evaluation, synthesis, and public-facing results—not for researchers seeking a general literature-search and screening workspace.

Its focused assessment modules and open published content are useful, but joining an active team requires an approved account.

Overview

HAWC brings assessment data and decisions into an online workflow, from study quality evaluation and data extraction through evidence synthesis and dose-response analysis. Its coverage of human epidemiology, animal bioassay, and in vitro studies makes it relevant to health and environmental risk assessors handling varied evidence types. The scope is deliberately narrower than a full systematic-review process: EPA uses HERO, SWIFT Review, and DistillerSR for literature searches and screening before HAWC is used to synthesize study information.

Published content can be viewed by anyone without an account, making released assessments accessible to readers outside the project team. Collaboration is different: external participants need a Login.gov account, must request access to the EPA HAWC user group, and wait for an EPA system administrator to review the request. That approval step supports controlled team access but makes HAWC a poor fit when a group needs immediate, self-service collaboration.

Key features

Structured evidence assessment

Modules support study quality evaluation and data extraction for human epidemiology, animal bioassay, and in vitro evidence, followed by evidence synthesis and dose-response analysis. Keeping these tasks within a common assessment system is valuable for teams managing complex risk assessments. It is not a replacement for the search and screening work that feeds the assessment.

Role-based collaboration

Managers, team members, and reviewers can receive different access levels. Account holders may have read-only access, create assessments or join a team, or manage access as a project or chemical manager. This tiered authorization is a practical strength for projects where responsibilities differ, although external access depends on an EPA-reviewed request rather than open registration.

Interactive displays and exports

Interactive visualizations connect study, experiment, endpoint, and dose information, allowing readers to explore released assessment evidence rather than rely only on static summaries. The project’s chemical manager chooses which displays are available, and they are typically intended to accompany assessment text; teams should not assume every dataset or relationship will be visualized. Available assessment datasets can be downloaded as Microsoft Excel files, and figures can be exported as PDF or other formats. Those exports can support papers and reports.

Dose-response analysis

Benchmark dose modeling is handled endpoint by endpoint at the discretion of the EPA HAWC chemical manager, and released outputs can be viewed publicly. This makes the capability useful within managed assessment projects, but it is not an unrestricted modeling service that every user can invoke.

Pricing

HAWC is free. The EPA HAWC plan costs nothing and allows anyone to explore public assessments. Creating assessments requires requesting an account; there is no free trial, but no paid tier or per-seat charge is identified. The trade-off is access rather than price: public readers can inspect released work, while assessment creation and team participation are subject to the EPA account-request process.

Platforms

HAWC runs on the web and supports most modern browsers, with Google Chrome preferred. Internet Explorer has reported functionality errors, so it is not the right browser choice for dependable use. Users can contact the EPA HAWC team through its contact form for account, assessment, or technical issues.

Who it's for

HAWC suits human health and environmental risk assessors working in teams, especially those who need structured extraction across epidemiology, animal bioassay, and in vitro studies and a way to publish assessment material for public review. It can also serve readers who want to explore published assessments without joining a project. Researchers whose priority is broad literature searching, screening, or independent collaboration without an approval step should choose a different workflow.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Study evaluation, extraction, synthesis, and dose-response analysis are organized around risk assessment work rather than a generic review workflow.
• Pros: Public assessments are viewable without an account, and interactive figures expose linked study and dose information.
• Pros: Role-based permissions distinguish readers, contributors, and managers; datasets and figures can be exported for reports and papers.
• Cons: External collaborators must request access through Login.gov and receive EPA approval, which adds friction before team work can begin.
• Cons: Managers determine which visualizations are released, limiting what users can explore in a given assessment.
• Cons: Literature searching and screening happen in other tools before HAWC, so it does not cover the full review pipeline.
• Cons: Internet Explorer can produce functionality errors; Chrome is the preferred browser.

Alternatives

For a wider selection of systematic-review tools, browse Systematic Review Software.

• Rayyan is a better fit for teams that want a freemium review app across web, Android, iOS, and API, with a free plan capped at three active reviews and two free reviewers.
• Covexe is another web-based freemium choice, with a free tier that includes all tools and an AI co-pilot quota of 100 messages per day.
• Parsifal is a web-based free option when an optional AI assistant powered by your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key is useful.
• ReviewAid is worth considering for researchers who want free, open-source software under Apache 2.0, including self-hosted and desktop platform options.
• RevMan is a free-plan freemium alternative with a free trial and web and desktop platform support.
• Silvi offers a free Basic plan with unlimited reviews, screening, and data extraction, making it relevant when those review tasks are the priority.
• Systematicly has a free Explorer plan for manual drafting and browsing, with three active personal drafts and limited lifetime previews and evidence answers.
• Bango is a free desktop alternative for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Verdict

Choose HAWC if your work centers on human health or environmental risk assessments and you need structured evidence modules, role-based project access, and public release of assessment results. Its strongest case is the fit between specialized assessment tasks and public-facing evidence; look elsewhere if you need a self-service team workspace or a single tool for literature searching, screening, and synthesis.