TRI Resources for Data Users
Highlights
Database Name: Toxic Release Inventory
Method of Data Collection: Submitted by industrial Facilities
Method of Submission: Electronic Reporting
- TRIME Web
- TRIME desktop
Frequency of data collected: Annually; data is requested from industry for 2007
Data Quick Links
This page provides access to the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory data via links to tools and downloadable data sets for those that want to do in-depth analysis of TRI data.
The TRI is a database that contains detailed information on nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories that over 23,000 industrial and other facilities manage through disposal or other releases, recycling, energy recovery, or treatment. The data are collected from industries including manufacturing, metal and coal mining, electric utilities, commercial hazardous waste treatment, and other industrial sectors. TRI data is reported by facilities to EPA on an annual basis with a reporting deadline of July 1 of each year. The data is put through a data quality process. Ultimately, this data's main form of release to the public is the Public Data Release (PDR) report.
- What is happening in my neighborhood?
- What is happening at the National or International level?
- What other information is available on toxic chemicals?
What is happening in my neighborhood?
- State Fact Sheets: Accessible in TRI Explorer, the State Fact Sheets summarize the basic TRI data for each state. The State Fact Sheets include data on: Reported Disposal or Other Releases and Other Waste Management Activities; On- and Off-site Waste Management; state maps; population, area of the state, the number of facilities reporting to TRI from the state, and the number of forms submitted by those facilities; and contact information the state TRI coordinator and for the EPA TRI coordinator for the region in which the state is located.
- e-FDR:The e-FDR is an annual early facility-level release of the TRI data. These data are typically released a few months prior to the annual TRI Public Data Release (PDR) and are available through Envirofacts. Only local level data, one facility at a time can be accessed through the eFDR. National, aggregate data are released a few months later as part of the PDR. Once the TRI data are made available in the annual PDR, the eFDR data are no longer made available. The e-FDR does not include analyses of the TRI data, such as national trend analysis.
- TRI Explorer: This on-line tool generates reports based on facilities, chemicals, geographic areas, or industry type at the county, state, and national level. It provides information for on- and off-site disposal or other releases, transfers off-site, and other waste management data (i.e., recycling, energy recovery, treatment, and quantities released). Users are able to enter their zip code to retrieve data on all the TRI covered releases in their area.
- Envirofacts: EPA created the Envirofacts Warehouse to provide the public with direct access to the wealth of information contained in its databases (including TRI). The Envirofacts Warehouse provides environmental information from EPA databases on Air, Chemicals, Facility Information, Grants/Funding, Hazardous Waste, Risk Management Plans, Superfund, Toxic Releases, and other EPA databases. Envirofacts provides access to TRI data that is updated periodically with the latest revisions.
- TRI.Net - A high performance Data Engine for querying the Toxics Release Inventory. The tool is focused on capabilities a Power User needs to analyze TRI data effectively, such as a robust ad hoc query capability and integration with mapping technologies. It is highly interactive and provides
a very fast response to perform analyses quickly and efficiently. Supports very large queries and complex trends. - The National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) TOXNET: (TOXicology Data NETwork) is a cluster of databases covering toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health and related areas. NLM's TOXNET System makes TRI data and health information accessible to concerned citizens and to businesses and organizations interested in environmental or public health issues. TOXNET offers state-of-the-art, user-friendly, on-line searching. NLM's Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) is a well organized, peer reviewed database that provides up-to-date comprehensive toxicological, environmental, physical and regulatory information on about 5,000 chemical substances.
- National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) Tool: NATA is EPA's ongoing comprehensive evaluation of air toxics in the U.S. It is a state-of-the-science screening tool that estimates cancer and other health risks from exposure to air toxics, designed to guide further local, state and federal steps to cut toxic air pollution and build upon the significant emissions reductions achieved since 1990.
- Community Air Screening How-To Manual: Efforts to understand and improve local air quality are key components of the movement toward healthy and sustainable communities. Unfortunately, many communities are finding it difficult to address their air quality concerns because the information, tools and technical expertise needed to make sense of environmental data are not usually available at the local level. The Community Air Screening How To Manual will make air quality assessment tools more accessible to communities.
What is happening at the National or International level?
- TRI Public Data Release Website: The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a database containing detailed information on nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories that over 23,000 industrial and federal facilities manage through disposal or other releases, and waste management for recycling, energy recovery, or treatment. This database is refreshed annually and the new data is made available to the public via the PDR. The PDR also contains analysis, tables and charts that explain the current data.
- International TRI: The United State's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is one of several similar programs established, or being established, by countries around the world. The term used internationally for these TRI-like systems is Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR).
- EPA Report on the Environment: EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment (ROE) answers a series of important questions about trends in the environment and human health using the most reliable indicators currently available.
- National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Program: The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Program (NPEP) encourages public and private organizations to form voluntary partnerships with EPA that reduce the use or release of any of 31 Priority Chemicals (PCs). NPEP is part of EPA's National Waste Minimization Program and the Resource Conservation Challenge, a national effort to conserve natural resources and energy by managing materials more efficiently.
What other information is available on toxic chemicals?
Chemical release estimates, such as those provided in TRI data, alone are not sufficient to determine exposure or to calculate potential adverse risks to human health and the environment. TRI data, in conjunction with other information, such as the toxicity of the chemical, the release medium, and site-specific conditions, can be used as a starting point in evaluating exposures that may result from releases of toxic chemicals.
- Factors to Consider When Using TRI Data (PDF) (29pp, 195K, About PDF) : is an excellent source of information on how to use TRI data.
- Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI): RSEI is a screening tool that compares toxic chemicals released to the environment from industrial sources. You can examine rankings and trends, and set priorities for further action. Information can be sorted in numerous ways such as by chemical, media, geographic areas, etc.
- "How Are the Toxics Release Inventory Data Used" (PDF) (67pp, 790K, About PDF): provides case studies of government, business, academic and citizen uses of TRI data.
- Hazard Information on Toxic Chemicals Added in 1995: EPA added 286 new chemicals and chemical categories to the EPCRA section 313 list. These chemicals were added to the list based on the statutory criteria in EPCRA section 313(d)(2): in short, acute human health risks, cancer or chronic (non-cancer) human health effects, and/or environmental effects.
- EPA Chemical Fact Sheets: EPA has developed information summaries on selected chemicals to describe how you might be exposed to these chemicals, how exposure to them might affect you and the environment, what happens to them in the environment, who regulates them, and whom to contact for additional information.
- Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS): The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) contains summaries of hazard assessments and EPA regulatory information on over 500 specific chemicals. It is a key source for descriptive and quantitative hazard/risk information, such as oral reference dose and inhalation reference concentrations for chronic, non-carcinogenic health effects; oral slope factors and unit risk for chronic exposure to carcinogens; EPA drinking water health advisories; and summaries of EPA regulatory actions. The system is useful in the risk assessment process.
- ATSDR ToxFAQs(TM): ToxFAQs(TM), produced by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), is a series of summaries about hazardous substances developed by the ATSDR Division of Toxicology. Information for this series is excerpted from the ATSDR Toxicological Profiles and Public Health Statements. Each fact sheet serves as a quick and easy to understand guide. Answers are provided to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about exposure to hazardous substances found around hazardous waste sites and the effects of exposure on human health.
- New Jersey Hazardous Substances Fact Sheets: The Fact Sheets are prepared for substances on the New Jersey Right to Know Hazardous Substance List. More than 1,700 Fact Sheets have been completed and more than 700 have been translated into Spanish. The Fact Sheets are prepared on pure substances and contain information on health hazards, exposure limits, personal protective equipment, proper handling, first aid, and emergency procedures for fires and spills.