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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)

What is “TRI”?

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is an EPA database that contains information on chemical releases and waste management of about 650 chemicals by various industries since 1988. This database is public information, so the database can be accessed from the TRI website at any time.

TRI allows you to search by industry type, chemical, facility, state, and the location to which the chemical was released (air, land, or water). Information on waste transfers, chemical recycling, injection wells, and other waste management activities is also available on TRI.

What are the Limits of TRI Data for Villages?

While the information in the TRI is very useful in general, there are some limitations that you should consider when you review the data. These limitations in what is reported mean that there is not much TRI data for locations in and around rural Villages. Limitations are discussed in EPA’s brochure “Factors to Consider when Using TRI Data” and are summarized below:

Size of Companies Required to Report

Industries on the TRI report list are not required to report if they employ less than ten full- time people. See EPA’s brochure “Factors to Consider when Using TRI Data” for complete details. This requirement is and the “Size of Release” are probably the biggest reasons why you will not find much for releases in and around your Village.

Size of Release

Companies do not need to report if they manufacture or process 25,000 pounds or less, or use 10,000 pounds or less, of a listed chemical per calendar year. An exception to these amounts is that chemicals listed as persistent bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs) have lower maximum amounts ranging from 0.1 gram (dioxins) to 100 pounds. See EPA’s brochure “Factors to Consider when Using TRI Data” for complete details.

Type of Industry

In 1994 federal facilities were added to the original list of industries that are required to report to TRI. Four years later, in 1998, seven additional industries, including mining, were added. Additional industry limitations are discussed on Scorecard, a website operated by Green Media Toolshed.

Chemicals Included

The TRI database includes release and waste tracking reports for approximately 650 chemicals. However, about 75,000 chemicals are manufactured in the United States. Visit Scorecard’s website for additional limitations to consider.

Potential for Under-reporting

Companies report their releases to EPA to be included in the TRI, and data reported are often calculated estimates of pollution instead of actual measurements. Reporting requirements are available on the EPA TRI website.

Primary resources used: http://www.epa.gov/tri/ and http://www.scorecard.org/general/tri/tri_gen.html

How Can I Learn More about TRI Chemical Releases Near me?

For information on chemical releases between 1988-2005:

1. Go to http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/ This brings you to the Release Reports Tab
2. Under “Reports” on the far left of the page, select “Facility” (or “Federal Facility”). (“Facility” information also includes the chemicals released.)
3. Select a Year of Data. 2005 is the default. You may wish to do this search several times and just change the year.
4. Under “Geographic Location” select “Enter a Zip Code” or “Select a State or County.” You may wish to first start by searching facilities in Alaska and then narrow your search once you see a complete list.
5. Under “Chemical Released,” use the default “All Chemicals”
6. Under “Industry,” use default “All Industries”
7. Use the default “Report Columns to Include” on the right
8. Click “Generate Report”
9. The report page will list facilities and their total releases by category (Point Source Air Emissions, Surface Water Discharges, etc.).
10. If you search by Zip Code, the chemicals released and their reported release amounts will be listed under the facility name.
11. If you want to know about chemicals that were transferred, do the same search as above under the “Waste Transfer Reports” tab
12. If you want to know about chemicals that were recycled or otherwise treated, do the same search as above under the “Waste Quantity Reports” tab

For information on chemical releases in 2006:
1.Go to http://www.epa.gov/tri-efdr/
2.Enter your zip code or City/State
3.Click “Run Report”
4.To determine chemicals released and amounts, click on the TRI Facility ID that you want to know about.
5.Click on the Document Control Number of the chemical you want to know about.
6.Scroll to Section 5 to determine the amount of release for a given chemical. Sections 6-8 describe waste transfer and recycling activities.

How Can I find out more about the Chemicals Reported to TRI?

These links will give you lots of information about specific chemicals – including their health issues, where they might be found, and physical behavior.

Department of Health & Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

ToxFAQs and factsheets/information on chemicals
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/index.html

U.S. EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (“IRIS”)

Search for information on chemicals
http://www.epa.gov/iris/search.htm

U.S. EPA Envirofacts Data

Envirofacts Data Warehouse and Warehouse EnviroMapper.
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/

National Institute of Health — National Library of Medicine

Toxnet—numerous databases and fact sheets on toxicology and environmental health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/tehipfs.html

Right to Know Network

Numerous links to organizations, statutes, databases, etc.
http://www.rtknet.org/resources.php