Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program Fact Sheet

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT RELEASES OF TOXIC CHEMICALS IN YOUR OUR COMMUNITY?

Are you concerned about what toxic chemicals are being released in your community? Do you live near businesses that use toxic chemicals? Would you like to know about toxic chemicals being released near your child's school or near your local reservoir? By law, you have the right to know about toxic chemicals that are being released into your community.

EMERGENCY PLANNING AND COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW ACT

A federal law called the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) gives you the right to know about toxic chemicals being released into the environment. The law requires facilities in certain industries, which manufacture, process, or use significant amounts of toxic chemicals, to report annually on their releases of these chemicals. The reports contain information about the types and amounts of toxic chemicals that are released each year to the air, water, and land as well as information on the quantities of toxic chemicals sent to other facilities for further waste management. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains this information in a database called the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which is available to the public over the Internet (http://www.epa.gov/tri) and in written reports.

The TOXICS RELEASE INVENTORY

Begun in 1988, the Toxics Release Inventory contains information on releases of nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories from industries including manufacturing, metal and coal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste treatment, among others. If you or your library have access to a computer, you can easily find information on toxic chemical releases over the Internet at:

• http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer
• http://www.epa.gov/enviro
• http://www.rtk.net
  

These Web sites provide access to specific data and trend information on individual facilities, counties, states, or the nation as whole. In addition, you can analyze the data by industry, by specific media (e.g., air, water, or land), and by chemical. If you don't have access to a computer, you can get written reports from the TRI User Support Service at (202) 566-0250.

FOR MORE FREE INFORMATION
For more information on the Toxics Release Inventory Program, including the data, reporting requirements, reports, and key contacts, you can go to EPA's TRI Web site at http://www.epa.gov/tri or call the TRI User Support Service at (202) 566-0250.

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