United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pesticides and
Toxic Substances
(TS-779)
EPA 560/4-89-006
June 1989
&EPA
The Toxics-Release
Inventory
Executive Summary
-------
THE 1987 TOXICS RELEASE INVENTORY: AN INTRODUCTION
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory was mandated by the "Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act" enacted by Congress in October of 1986, The law, also known as Title III of the
Superfund Amendments, is based on the premise that citizens have a "right-to-know" about toxic
chemicals in their communities, and has two main purposes: to encourage planning for response to
chemical accidents; and to provide the public and the government information about possible
chemical hazards in their communities. The law requires States to establish State Emergency
Response Commissions and Local Emergency Planning Committees to collect detailed information
of local manufacturers.
The law further requires certain manufacturers to report to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and to States the amounts of over 300 toxic chemicals that they release directly to air,
water, or land, or that they transport to off-site facilities. In addition, the law specifies that the EPA
must compile these reports into an annual inventory of releases and transfers—the Toxics Release
Inventory (TRI) — and make the inventory available to the public in a computerized database. This
report summarizes release and transfer data for 1987, the first year of data collection under TRI.
Who Must Report to TRI?
TRI requirements for 1987 covered all manufacturing facilities in the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
that met the following conditions:
• they produced, imported, or processed 75,000 or more pounds of any of the 328 TRI chemicals,
or they used in any other manner 10,000 pounds or more of a TRI chemical;
• they were engaged in general manufacturing activities; and
• they employed the equivalent often or more employees full time.
Which Toxic Chemicals for 1987?
The 1987 TRI reporting requirements covered more than 300 toxic chemicals and 20 categories of
chemical compounds. The TRI chemicals vary widely in toxicity and in the frequency, amounts, and
industrial processes in which they are used.
What Constitutes a TRI Release?
TRI calls for facilities to report the amounts of the listed toxic chemicals that are released directly
to air, water, or land. In addition, manufacturers must report amounts of chemicals that are
transported (transferred) off-site to facilities, including public sewage systems, that treat or dispose
of the chemical wastes. Both routine releases and accidental spills or leaks must be reported. Facilities
must report even if their releases comply with all environmental laws and permits. TRI data is not
necessarily an indication of regulatory violations.
What to Report?
EPA required that manufacturers submit a TRI data form (EPA Form R*) for each TRI chemical
they manufactured or used in 1987. The information requested on the TRI form includes facility
address and other identification, off-site locations to which TRI chemicals are transferred in wastes,
and specific chemical information for releases, off-site transfers, and treatment.
* FOR A COPY OF FORM R AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING IT, CONTACT:
EPA DOCUMENT DISTRIBUTION CENTER, P.O. BOX 12505, CINCINNATI, OH 45212.
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory: A National Summary
Total Releases and Transfers of TRI Chemicals
In 1987, the first year of reporting under the Toxics Release Inventory
(TRI), manufacturing facilities reported the release of 18.0 billion
pounds1 of TRI chemicals directly into the ah-, water, land or under-
ground wells, and an additional 4.6 billion pounds of TRI chemicals
transferred off-site to other facilities, such as public sewage systems
or incinerators, for treatment or disposal. All told, TRI encompassed
22.5 billion pounds of releases and transfers in its first year of report-
ing (Figure 1-1). A total of 19,278 manufacturing facilities submitted
74,152 individual chemical reports, or an average of almost four TRI
chemicals per facility.
Eighteen billion
pounds of TRI
chemicals were
released to the en-
vironment in 1987
and 4.9 billion
pounds were trans-
ferred off-site for
treatment or dis-
posal.
Public Sewage
9%
Land
11%
Off-site
12%
Underground Inject'n
14%
With Sodium Sulfate
Surface Water
43%
Off-site
24%
Underground Inject'n
14%
Public Sewage
8%
Surface Water
5%
Without Sodium Sulfate
Figure 1-1.
Total TRI Releases and Transfers, 1987. Total with sodium sulfate: 22.5 billion pounds. Total without
sodium sulfate: 10.4 billion pounds.
1 This report is based on data retrieved from the March 15,1989 version of EPA's
TRI database. Numbers reported may differ slightly from those available now.
Figures cited here and throughout the text of this report have been rounded off,
so totals may not always be exactly the same. Refer to tables for exact data.
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
Sodium sulfate ac-
counted for more
than half of all TRI
releases and trans-
fers In 1987.
Over half of the TRI total consisted of a single chemical—sodium
sulfate. Because it was reported in such large amounts, sodium sulfate
affects the overall patterns of releases and transfers presented here,
sometimes obscuring smaller releases of more toxic TRI chemicals.
The influence of this one chemical, which may be removed from the
TRI list, is discussed throughout this report (Box 1-B).
TRI release data reveal the amounts of TRI chemicals that are
annually and routinely discharged into the environment (Box 1-A).
These data do not, however, directly gauge the amounts of chemicals
to which humans or the environment are exposed, nor do they measure
the risks posed by TRI chemicals. Many factors combine to determine
how much of a risk, if any, is imposed by particular releases and
transfers of TRI chemicals (Box 1-C). Nor are the releases necessarily
an indication of violations of environmental laws; many EPA and
State programs permit some releases of toxic chemicals under con-
trolled or properly managed conditions that prevent or minimize risks.
The following sections present selected highlights of TRI data on the
nation-wide releases and transfers of TRI chemicals:
• how TRI chemicals were released to air, land, and water or
transported off-site
• where TRI chemicals were released in 1987
• which industries played major roles
• which chemicals played major roles
TRI AT A GLANCE
What is TRI? A compilation of information reported to EPA on more than 300 chemicals
used or released to the environment by manufacturers in 1987.
Who reports? Manufacturing facilities in the U.S. that manufactured, imported, or processed
more than 75,000 pounds of the 328 TRI chemicals or used more than 10,000 pounds of TRI
chemicals and that employed ten or more workers full time during 1987.
Where are TRI data kept? Manufacturers submitted TRI reports to the EPA and to state
environmental agencies. The EPA maintains TRI data on a computerized database, available
to the public through the National Library of Medicine's TOXNET computer network.
When was TRI compiled? Manufacturers were required to submit forms describing their
1987 releases by July 1,1988. Reports will continue on an annual basis.
Limitations of TRI. Not all sources of toxic chemical wastes are included in TRI, and not all
facilities which should have reported did so. The quality of the reported data must be viewed
cautiously, since this is the first year of industry experience with TRI.
Box 1-A.
-------
Executive Summary
SODIUM SULFATE AND TRI
Sodium sulfate releases and transfers of more than 12 billion pounds dwarf all other
chemicals reported to TRI in 1987. Sodium sulfate alone accounts for 54 percent of total
releases and transfers for all TRI chemicals. Moreover, a single facility in California released
5.2 billion pounds of sodium sulfate, accounting for 23 percent of total national releases and
transfers.
EPA has been petitioned to remove sodium sulfate from the list of TRI chemicals requiring
reporting due to an apparent absence of significant toxicity concerns for this chemical. If the
petition is granted the portrait of TRI releases and transfers will change dramatically.
For example, California, which in 1987 had the largest amount of TRI chemical wastes, would
drop to ninth in the nation without sodium sulfate. Discharges to surface water, which ranked
first with a lion's share of the sodium sulfate releases (75 percent of the total sodium sulfate
releases for 1987) would drop to last place of all the types of releases and transfers (Figure
1-1). The acids/bases/salts class of chemicals, which accounts for 69 percent of total TRI
releases and transfers, would drop to only 33 percent without the influence of sodium sulfate.
And of course, the total amount of TRI releases and transfers would be cut by more than
half.
Box1-B.
The reader should note the limitations of TRI data: not all toxic
chemicals are included under TRI, nor are all sources of toxic chemi-
cal releases to the environment.
Environmental Distribution of TRI Releases and Transfers
Larger amounts of TRI chemicals were discharged to surface water
than were emitted to air, disposed of on land, or transported off-site
in 1987 (Figure 1-1, above). Almost half the total amount of TRI
releases and transfers (9.6 billion pounds) was discharged to surface
water. Facilities disposed of an additional 3.2 billion pounds (14
percent of the TRI total) by injecting chemicals into underground
wells. Air received the next highest sum, with emissions totalling 2.7
billion pounds (12 percent), and facilities disposed of 2.5 billion
pounds (11 percent) on land. The distribution changes significantly if
sodium sulfate is not added in: air emissions, off-site transfers, and
land releases take the lead, with 25, 24, and 23 percent of the total,
respectively, while discharges to surface water drop to 5 percent and
transfers to public sewage treatment plants drop to 8 percent.
In addition to environmental releases, manufacturers discharged 1.9
billion pounds of TRI chemicals (9 percent of the TRI total) to public
sewage systems and transported 2.6 billion pounds (12 percent) to
Forty-three percent
of the total TRI
releases and trans-
fers was discharged
to surface water, 14
perrcent was in-
jected in under-
ground wells, 12
percent emitted to
air, 9 percent dis-
charged to public
sewage, and 12 per-
cent transferred to
off-site facilities.
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
TRI DATA, EXPOSURE. AND RISK
The 18.0 billion pounds of TRI releases and 4,6 billion pounds of transfers are not an indicator
of human or environmental exposure to these chemicals. Several factors should be kept in
mind when considering the impact of TRJ releases and transfers.
First, environmental releases do not always result in exposure. Releases to landfills or to
underground injection are intended to isolate these wastes, and result in zero or low exposure
unless there is an unexpected failure of the disposal technique.
Even chemicals that are not isolated in this manner require careful interpretation. TRI
reveals that 2.7 billion pounds of TRI chemicals were released directly to the air, and 9.6
billion pounds to surface water in 1987. These releases cannot be equated directly to
exposure, since each chemical in each individual release circumstance undergoes different
transformations after release. Dilution may render exposure concentrations so small as to be
of no concern. Gaseous emissions may be chemically transformed to harmless byproducts,
or acidic wastewater discharges may be effectively neutralized by the receiving body of water.
On the other hand, some environmental transformations lead to byproducts of even greater
concern than the original releases. Each release scenario has its own unique characteristics.
TRI chemicals were also transferred to sewage treatment plants and other off-site facilities,
where they may undergo treatment (which can destroy or isolate a potentially toxic chemical)
prior to ultimate disposal. The transfers also shift the location of materials, so that TRI
releases generated in, say, New Jersey, may ultimately be sent to Ohio for treatment and/or
disposal. A knowledge of the ultimate fate of these materials would be needed for any
meaningful interpretation of potential risks.
Lastly, TRI chemicals cover a broad spectrum of toxicity concerns and total release or
transfer amounts only give part of the story—a small release of a highly toxic chemical might
be of much greater concern than a large release of a low-toxicity substanceJn all cases, more
information is needed to assess potential concerns than is provided by TRI data alone. TRI
can only serve as an indicator to toxic chemicals that may be of concern, and hence require
further attention and analysis.
Box 1 -C.
off-site facilities for treatment or disposal. These facilities include
private wastewater treatment plants, incinerators, and off-site
landfills and underground injection wells.
Sodium sulfate played a singular role in the distribution of the TRI
data, accounting for 95 percent of discharges to surface water, and
more than 50 percent of discharges to underground injection and
public sewage systems. Without sodium sulfate (which may be
removed from the TRI list), these types of discharges would comprise
a much smaller fraction of total TRI releases and transfers.
-------
A National Summary
4)
2
S
,o
ra
D>
C
1
Q.
a
a
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
TABLE 1-1 . NUMBER OF TRI FACILITIES AND AMOUNT OF RELEASES BY TYPE BY STATE, 1987
(Percentages are of total releases and transfers for the state)
TOTAL TRI TOTAL TRI
TRI TOTAL TRI SURFACE WATER TRANSFERS TO
STATE
Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
TOTAL
FACILITIES
Number
355
7
2
156
293
1,662
172
383
53
419
636
33
52
1,185
720
310
184
298
259
83
191
560
758
301
247
503
27
139
33
129
875
32
765
820
28
1,261
193
217
1,027
172
166
394
37
503
999
102
52
1
399
306
107
645
27
19,278
AIR EMISSIONS
Pounds
98,339,764
31,707,083
56,250
16,565,691
54,559,906
82,708,429
11,010,395
26,078,031
6,036,385
50,196,070
93,586,285
1,064,495
4,176,707
99,226,761
112,870,299
39,238,921
24,738,143
51,666,181
138,254,193
14,607,382
20,234,753
30,061,360
116,359,932
42,095,160
57,285,976
50,623,710
5,255,856
14,403,622
742,389
12,983,935
41,983,116
3,831,726
89,399,757
94,568,576
935,275
172,685,650
36,445,117
20,941,392
87,547,598
12,867,913
5,927,841
64,215,277
2,441,359
135,010,665
238,817,765
77,327,036
1,379,661
2,033,873
132,436,076
40,637,496
35,564,455
48,656,361
3,154,641
2,655,542,710
Percent
11.9
85.8
78.1
13.1
14.6
1.4
31.2
30.2
10.3
11.5
14.1
21.0
5.7
21.2
15.4
54.8
13.5
20.6
8.0
6.7
10.4
28.7
15.7
29.7
8.7
17.3
13.7
68.1
6.3
19.9
13.6
17.0
27.4
21.4
33.4
23.9
28.1
17.4
20.0
30.0
22.3
12.4
69.4
22.4
8.5
31.0
28.2
27.4
29.8
10.0
20.9
26.3
50
11.8
DISCHARGES
Pounds
533,895,407
5,221,865
15,750
3,000
171,220,328
3,834,809,964
3,325,009
25,225,312
29,852,685
107,593,997
473,506,462
2,542,000
50,737,549
33,437,606
105,987,418
15,335,547
7,578,737
76,869,713
775,836,211
195,803,966
1 1 1 ,795,540
2,116,295
38,127,898
15,826,354
473,882,098
36,406,436
791,946
2,754,398
0
42,428,961
55,063,498
9,057
56,110,261
217,090,591
393,600
68,219,055
65,792,624
63,362,600
61,901,577
1,676,734
13,187,892
340,939,102
3,698
196,399,204
659,657,602
133,749
1,113,799
5,303,250
225,383,321
303,684,767
87,295,714
16,563,741
3,460,037
9,615,673,925
Percent
64.6
14.1
21.9
0.0
45.7
65.7
9.4
29.2
50.8
24.8
71.6
50.2
69.1
7.1
14.5
21.4
4.1
30.6
45.0
89.2
57.3
2.0
5.1
11.2
72.2
12.4
2.1
13.0
0.0
65.1
17.8
0.0
17.2
49.2
14.0
9.4
50.7
52.5
14.1
3.9
49.5
65.8
0.1
32.6
23.6
0.1
22.8
71.4
50.8
74.6
51.2
9.0
5.5
42.7
PUBLIC SEWAGE
Pounds
32,713,211
35
0
9,236,876
4,325,937
246,101,586
3,125,396
9,544,587
16,375,820
39,468,550
47,093,822
973,250
3,250,118
199,165,360
95,899,156
10,090,895
6,647,139
13,649,364
1,334,641
5,071,706
47,863,355
36,142,507
38,245,470
70,020,634
9,125,709
112,489,998
28,109
1,213,294
33,814
2,802,094
123,413,118
738,719
65,294,934
54,537,779
94,217
131,193,018
1,692,971
13,900,170
39,815,049
23,060,390
2,998,055
51,090,961
620,208
97,149,025
154,293,072
2,032,004
298,037
0
55,690,097
4,061,980
5,179,381
46,313,952
17,800
1,935,517,370
Percent
4.0
0.0
0.0
7.3
1.2
4.2
8.8
11.1
27.8
9.1
7.1
19.2
4.4
42.5
13.1
14.1
3.6
5.4
0.1
2.3
24.5
34.5
5.1
49.5
1.4
38.5
0.1
5.7
0.3
4.3
400
3.3
20.0
12.4
3.4
18.1
1.3
11.5
9.1
537
11.3
9.9
17.6
16.1
5.5
0.8
6.1
0.0
12.5
1.0
3.0
25.0
0.0
8.6
6
-------
Executive Summary
TABLE 1-1. (Continued)
STATE
Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
TOTAL TRI
ON-SfTE LAND
RELEASES
Pounds Percent
98,091,692
14,930
0
97,102,866
108,534,294
47,693,392
12,547,494
1,848,676
2,565,876
190,827,201
14,969,473
237,342
14,988,307
11,209,153
246,523,580
768,722
1,058,669
4,028,637
154,894,837
2,037,139
4,318,725
3,575,212
3,979,327
1,722,105
15,252,731
56,439,000
32,223,598
349,910
10,817,492
666,529
5,312,503
17,307,456
17,598,716
30,157,949
1,100.500
47,664.590
2,482,881
13,998.763
70,957,429
184,150
69,009
8,994,959
9
20,550,544
835,087,965
165,467,430
168,696
87,505
6,949,712
25,105,014
11,638,215
7,535,521
24,183,539
11.9
0.0
0.0
77.0
29.0
0.8
35.5
2.1
4.4
43.9
2.3
4.7
20.4
2.4
33.7
1.1
0.6
1.6
9.0
0.9
2.2
3.4
0.5
1.2
2.3
19.3
83.8
1.7
92.2
1.0
1.7
76.8
5.4
68
39.3
6.6
1.9
11.6
16.2
0.4
0.3
1.7
0.0
3.4
29.8
66.3
3.5
1.2
1.6
62
6.8
4.1
38.6
TOTAL THI
UNDERGROUND
INJECTION
Pounds Percent
1,443,591
0
0
0
13,016,449
1,530,850,645
1.170
0
250
29,437,389
19,500
216,140
0
14,221,970
63,356,466
0
91,067,410
25,000,250
553,820,180
0
750
250
6,472,752
250
46,433,140
1,001,450
0
0
0
0
780
0
500
250
0
71,850,645
7,171,133
0
74,000
988
0
750
0
124,406,900
630,223,666
3
0
0
250
500
1,719,219
1,500
30,651,671
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
3.5
26.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
6.8
0.0
4.3
0.0
3.0
8.7
0.0
497
10.0
32.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.9
0.0
7.1
0.3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
9.9
5.5
0.0
0.0
0.0
00
0.0
0.0
20.7
22.5
0.0
0.0
0.0
00
0.0
1 0
00
49.0
TOTAL TRI
OFF-SFTE
TRANSFERS
Pounds Percent
62,580,627
139
0
3,163,551
23,124,550
97,644,358
5,321,533
23,677,774
3,987,692
17,162,515
32,555,326
30,226
259,307
111,556,134
107,092,085
6,149,084
52,300,709
79,727,997
101,793,171
2,040,371
11,035,136
32,931,176
539,530,650
11,833,822
54,106,141
35,466,064
138.140
2,428,365
141,555
6,249,760
82,811,996
641,055
97,670,612
44,990,734
279.990
232,280,058
16,196,697
8,401,643
177,338,841
5,137,365
4,439,825
52,886,551
452,952
28,631,687
281,688,463
4,782,932
1,929,473
0
23,590,468
33.588,830
29,174,069
65,886,063
1,129.103
7.6
0.0
0.0
2.5
6.2
1.7
15.1
27.4
6.8
39
4.9
0.6
0.4
23.8
14.6
8.6
28.5
31.8
5.9
0.9
5.7
31.4
72.6
8.4
8.2
12.1
0.4
11.5
1.2
9.6
26.8
2.8
30.0
10.2
10.0
32.1
12.5
7.0
40.5
12.0
16.7
102
12.9
4.8
10.1
1.9
39.5
0.0
5.3
8.3
17.1
35.6
1.8
TOTAL TRI TOTAL TRI
RELEASES/ RELEASES/
TRANSFERS TRANSFERS
Pounds Rank
827,064,312
36,944,052
72,000
126,071,984
374,781,464
5,839,808,374
35,330,997
86,374,380
58,818,708
434,685,722
661,730,868
5,063,453
73,411,988
468,816,984
731,729,004
71,583,169
183,390,807
250,942,142
1,725,933,233
219,560,564
195,248,259
104,826,800
742,716,029
141,498,325
656,085,795
292,426,658
38,437,649
21,149,589
11,735,250
65,131,279
308,585,011
22,528,013
326,074,780
441,345,879
2,803,582
723,893,016
129,781,423
120,604,568
437,634,494
42,927,540
26,622,622
518,127,600
3,518,226
602,148,025
2,799,768,533
249,743.154
4,889,666
7,424,628
444,049,924
407,078,587
170.571,053
184,957,138
62,596,791
4
42
53
31
18
1
43
34
39
16
8
49
35
12
6
36
27
22
3
24
25
33
5
29
9
21
41
46
47
37
20
45
19
14
52
7
30
32
15
40
44
11
51
10
2
23
50
48
13
17
28
26
38
TOTAL
2,451,889,964
10.9 3,242,462,757
14.4 2,617,957,365
11.6 22,519,044,091
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
A total of 19,278
facilities reported to
TRI. More facilities
reported from
California than from
any other state.
California, Texas, and
Louisiana had the
largest total TRI
releases and trans-
fers.
TRI Facilities
A total of 19,278 manufacturing facilities reported to TRI from all 50
states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa
(Map 1-1). No facilities reported from the District of Columbia or
from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
More than half of the manufacturers were located in ten states.
California had the largest number of TRI facilities—1,662 facilities.
Each of the top ten states had more than 700 facilities reporting, for
a total of 10,072 facilities (Table 1-1).
Geographical Distribution of TRI Releases and
Transfers
The 5.8 billion pounds of releases and off-site transfers from Califor-
nia dwarfed those of any other state, accounting for 26 percent of the
TRI total for the nation (Map 1-2). However, a disproportionately
large amount of California's total was due to sodium sulfate releases
from a single facility in the state which discharged 3.7 billion pounds
of this chemical to surface water, and an additional 1.5 billion pounds
by underground injection. (Indeed, this single facility was responsible
Billions of Pounds
CA TX LA AL Ml IN OH GA MS TN SC IL VA NC PA FL WA AK NY NJ
On-Site
Off-Site
Figure 1-2.
The 20 States with the Largest Total Releases and Transfers, 1987.
-------
£_NationalSumma
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
250
200
150
Millions of Pounds
100
TX OH LA TN VA Ml IN IL AL NC QA NY PA CA UT SC MS AK KY MO
FUGITIVE
POINT SOURCE
Figure 1 -3.
The 20 States with the Largest Total Air Emissions of TRI Chemicals, 1987.
Billions of Pounds
CA LA TX AL MS GA SC WA VA NC TN ME AR MD FL IN WV KY OH OK
Figure 1-4.
The 20 States with the Largest Surface Water Discharges of TRI Chemicals, 1987.
10
-------
Executive Summary
300
Millions of Pounds
CA IL TX OH NJ MO TN IN MN NY VA NC SC MD GA Wl PA FL Ml MA
State
Figure 1-5.
The 20 States with the Largest Discharges of TRI Chemicals to Public Sewage Systems, 1987.
1000
800
600
400
200
Millions of Pounds
TX IN FL UTLA AR AL AZ PA MOCA OHMTNC WAWYTN NYNMMS
Figure 1-6.
The 20 States with the Largest On-Site Land Disposal of TRI Chemicals, 1987.
11
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
1600
Millions of Pounds
CATXLATNKSOH IN MSWYFLKY IL AR OK Ml WVALMO HI PA
Figure 1-7.
The 20 States with the Largest Underground Injections of TRI Chemicals, 1987.
600
500
400
300
200
100
Millions of Pounds
Ml TX OH PA IL IN LANYCA NJ KY Wl ALMSSCKANCMOWAMA
Figure 1-8.
The 20 States with the Largest Total Off-Site Transfers of TRI Chemicals, 1987. (By state from which off-site
transfers originated.)
12
-------
Executive Summary
for nearly 45 percent of the nation's total sodium sulfate releases and
transfers.)
Texas and Louisiana ranked second and third for total TRI releases
and transfers, with 2.8 and 1.7 billion pounds, respectively (Figure
1-2). Sodium sulfate did not account for a particularly large share of
the totals for either state.
Rankings amongst the states changed somewhat according to the type
of release or transfer (Figures 1-3,1-4,1-5,1-6,1 -7, and 1-8). However,
Texas, Louisiana, and California were generally among the top five
states for nearly every type of release or transfer. Two notable excep-
tions were that California ranked only 14th for total air emissions, and
Louisiana was ranked 41st for discharges to public sewage systems.
Michigan facilities transported by far the largest share of TRI chemi-
cals to off-site facilities, accounting for over one fifth of the total
amount of wastes transported (Figure 1-8, above). Over half of the
state's total was composed of aluminum oxide transported off-site by
a single facility.
Distribution of TRI Releases and Transfers in States
States differ markedly in the environmental distribution of their TRI
releases and transfers (Table 1-1, above). In California, surface water
discharges and underground injection dominated, together account-
ing for 93 percent of the state's total. In Maine, surface water dischar-
ges alone accounted for nearly 90 percent of that state's TRI total. In
Western states such as Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, the largest
share of TRI chemicals was disposed of on land (92 percent, 77
percent, and 66 percent of the state total, respectively).
Michigan facilities transferred 73 percent of their TRI total off-site;
Pennsylvania and Vermont followed with 41 percent and 39 percent,
respectively. On the other hand, only two percent of California's TRI
total, and six percent of Louisiana's were transferred to off-site
facilities, the remainder being on-site releases.
13
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
The Chemical in-
dustry generated
54 percent of the
total TRI releases
and transfers.
The Chemical in-
dustry discharged
48 percent of its
total TRI releases
and transfers to sur-
face water.
Industrial Patterns of Releases and Transfers
The Chemical and Allied Products industry produced more TRI
releases and transfers than any other industry in 1987, with a total of
12.1 billion pounds or 54 percent of the TRI total for all industries
(Table 1-2, Figure 1-9). Chemical manufacturers produced more
releases and transfers than any other industry in each of the following
categories: air emissions, discharges to surface water, underground
injection, and transfers to public sewage systems.Two other industries
reported TRI totals of more than one billion pounds: Paper Products
and Primary Metals. Together, these three industries generated 78
percent of all releases and transfers reported under TRI.
Industries generated distinct patterns of TRI releases and transfers.
Almost half of the Chemical industry's total was releases to surface
water; releases to underground injection comprised an additional 24
percent. Surface water discharges also accounted for a large fraction
(78 percent) of the Paper industry's total releases and transfers. The
Primary Metals industry released 1.4 billion pounds of chemicals to
land and transferred 961 million pounds off-site, accounting for 76
percent of this industry's releases and transfers. The Transportation
Equipment industry, although accounting for only 1.5 percent of the
TABLE 1 -2. AMOUNT OF TRI RELEASES AND TRANSFERS BY TYPE BY INDUSTRY, 1987
TRI
FACILITIES
SIC CODE INDUSTRY Number
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
Food Products
Tobacco Manufacturers
Textile Mill Products
Apparel
Lumber and Wood Products
Furniture and Fixtures
Paper Products
Printing, Publishing
Chemical Products
Petroleum Refining
Rubber and Plastic Products
Leather Products
Stone, Clay, Glass Products
Primary Metals
Fabricated Metals
Machinery, except Electrical
Electric and Electronic Equip.
Transportation Equipment
Measuring, Photographic Goods
Misc. Manufacturing
Multiple SIC codes In 20 - 39
No SIC codes in 20 - 39
1,576
24
469
37
644
332
663
287
3,849
343
1,125
117
629
1,305
2.393
787
1,426
908
306
337
1,317
404
TOTAL AIR
RELEASES
Pounds Percent
17,337,833
7,566,510
38,305,895
2,295,032
26,879,647
50,928,135
232,639,586
54,122,107
946,395,722
79,137,824
143,760,863
14,096,158
27,035,373
234,283,732
109,921,878
49,698,725
110,349,790
213,563,972
46,331,167
24,865,197
211,289,810
14,735,754
604
7232
1095
48.11
74.75
8528
8.29
85.99
7.83
1038
51 88
2707
2311
903
35.89
50.15
37 14
64.25
57.10
6845
12.36
996
SURFACE
WATER
Pounds Percent
30,560,639
132,545
182,363,632
42,810
1,001,064
47,984
2,183,493,703
3,521
5,835,403,944
366,051,900
54,077,618
1,959,658
1,322,017
105,844,217
9,079,259
4,439,271
13,080,342
3,878,314
3,153,101
264,802
799,136,129
20,237,455
10.65
1.27
52.12
090
2.78
008
7778
001
4827
48.02
19.52
376
1.13
409
2.96
448
4.40
1.17
3.89
0.73
4673
1368
TRANSFERS TO
PUBLIC SEWAGE
Pounds Percent
205,826,534
2,293,820
119,540,333
2,336,808
1,545,461
853,889
164,680,068
3,444,032
784,202,550
50,530,645
48,224,867
31,984,904
7,146,933
180,432,302
76,585,656
10,528,549
85,642,196
18,199,214
9,766,977
2,103,483
100,432,157
9,015,992
71.71
21 93
34.16
48.99
430
1 43
6.59
5.47
6.49
6.63
1740
61.41
6.11
6.96
25.00
1063
2862
5.48
12.04
5.79
5.87
609
GRAND TOTAL
19,278 2,655,542,710
1179 9,615,673,925
4270 1,935,517,370
660
14
-------
Executive Summary
Millions of Pounds
Food
Tobacco
Textiles
Apparel
Lumber
Furniture
Paper
Printing
Petroleum
Plastics
20
21
22
23
24
26
26
27
28
29
30
Leather(31
Stone/Clay
Prim. Metals
Fab. Metals
Machinery
Electrical
32
33
34
35
36
Transportations?
lnstruments(38
Misc. Manufact.(39
-D 0.287
-To. 01
HEQ o.3i
-} 0.005
-V 0.036
-1 o.oe
— ^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\M f, ft 2.807
-^0.063
-JWH » 0.762
-fB 0.277
-i 0.062
-0. 0.117
-JO 0.306
-6_ o.o»»
-SB] 0.297
-fB 0.332
-1 0.06
-1 0.036
Multiple Codes 20-39 -jlSmVMfrlll 1.71
No Codes In 20-39 -0 o.ua
III 1 1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Thousands
•1 To Air ESS To Surface Water CHI To Public Sewage
HH To On-Site Land ME Undergrnd Inject'n d] Off-Site Transfer
Figure 1-9.
Distribution of TRI Total Releases and Transfers by Industry,! 987. Industries are grouped according to
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes.
TABLE 1-2 (Continued)
INDUSTRY
Food Products
Tobacco Manufacturere
Textile Mill Products
Apparel
Lumber and Wood Products
Furniture and Fixtures
Paper Products
Printing, Publishing
Chemical Products
Petroleum Refining
Rubber and Plastic Products
Leather Products
Stone, Clay, Glass Products
Primary Metals
Fabricated Metals
Machinery, except Electrical
Electric and Electronic Equip
Transportation Equipment
Measuring, Photographic Good
Misc. Manufacturing
Multiple SIC codes in 20 - 39
No SIC codes in 20 - 39
TOTAL
ON-STTE
LAND
Pounds Percent
23,018,190
10,810
642,327
1,500
2,625,119
28,105
77,350,923
2,597
900,323,396
39,701,782
806,162
166,320
25,056,647
1,021,550,898
4,970,842
660,719
7,315,930
5,397,988
164,116
248,233
249,504,529
92,342,831
8.02
0.10
018
003
7.30
005
2.76
0.00
7.45
5.21
0.28
032
21 42
3939
1 62
0.67
2.46
1 62
020
068
1459
6242
UNDERGROUND
INJECTION
Pounds Percent
190,566
0
0
0
0
0
30,894
0
2,902,166,936
21,174,667
49,800
0
6,326,300
90,418,540
1,453,671
0
2,437,306
47,339
0
250
217,854.136
312,352
0.07
000
000
0.00
000
0.00
000
000
2401
278
002
000
5.41
349
047
000
082
0.01
000
000
12.74
021
TRANSFERS
OFF-SfTE
Pounds
10,077,922
458,196
9,058,955
94,221
3,909,453
7,857,362
129,014,310
5,364,131
720,337,123
205,764,651
30,177,303
3,878,288
50,081,467
960,608,352
104,277,700
33,764,108
78,291,668
91,310,160
21.725.976
8,842,508
131.767,953
11,295,538
Percent
3.51
438
259
1.98
1087
13 16
460
852
596
2699
1089
745
42.62
3704
34.05
34.07
2635
2747
2678
2434
771
764
TOTAL TRI TOTAL
RELEASES/ RELEASES/
TRANSFERS TRANSFER
Pounds RANK
287,011,684
10,461,881
349,911,142
4,770,371
35,960,744
59,715,475
2,807,409,484
62,936,388
12,088,829,671
762,361,469
277,096,613
52,087,328
116,968,737
2,593,238,041
306,289,006
99,091 ,372
297,117,232
332,397,007
81,141,337
36,324,473
1,709,984,714
147,939,922
10
21
6
22
20
17
2
16
1
5
11
18
13
3
8
14
9
7
15
19
4
12
GRAND TOTAL
2,451,889,964
10 89 3,242,462,757
1440 2,617,957,365
11.63 22,519,044,091
15
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
TRI total, had disproportionately large air emissions and contributed
8 percent of total TRI air emissions for all industries.
Over half of the
total TRI releases
and transfers was
generated by facil-
ities that engaged
only in manufactur-
ing chemicals.
The Chemical in-
dustry accounted
for 41 percent of all
TRI discharges to
public sewage treat-
ment plants.
Facilities reporting manufacturing as their sole activity for TRI chemi-
cals (as opposed to processing, or other uses such as equipment
cleaning) comprised only 1.3 percent of TRI facilities nationwide, but
accounted for 12 billion pounds of releases and transfers—56 percent
of the TRI total.
Industries also differed in their patterns of on-site releases/off-site
transfers. The Primary Metals industry transferred 37 percent of its
TRI total off-site; the Chemical industry only six percent. Together,
these two industries accounted for 64 percent of total off-site transfers
for all industries reporting under TRI.
The Chemical industry accounted for 41 percent (784 million pounds)
of all TRI chemicals discharged to public sewage treatment plants.
Facilities in each of four additional industries discharged more than
100 million pounds of TRI chemicals to public sewage systems: Food
and Kindred Products with 11 percent (206 million pounds); Paper
Products with ten percent (185 million pounds); Primary Metals with
nine percent (180 million pounds); and Textiles with six percent (120
million pounds). Discharges to public sewage systems from these five
industries made up 76 percent of the total.
The Primary Metals industry transported 961 million pounds of TRI
chemicals to off-site facilities, which accounted for the largest share
(37 percent) of off-site transfers. The Chemical industry ranked
second for off-site transfers, transporting 720 million pounds, or 28
percent of the total.
16
-------
Executive Summary
Off-site Transfers: The Interstate Transport of TRI
Wastes
While transfers to public sewage systems are generally local, other
off-site transfers to treatment and disposal facilities may cross state
lines. In 1987, over one quarter of all reported off-site transfers (731
million pounds) were transported to facilities across state lines (Fi-
gure 1-10). Ohio facilities received 13 percent of all out-of-state
transfers (92 million pounds), the largest share for any state.2
Louisiana, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan also
received large amounts of off-site transfers from out-of-state facilities,
each accepting over 40 million pounds of off-site transfers.
Facilities were not required to report transfers of TRI chemicals sent
off-site for recycling. Some facilities appear to have reported such
data, however, and these are included in the off-site transfer totals.
One quarter of all
reported off-site
transfers were
transported to off-
site facilities across
states lines.
600
500
Millions of Pounds
Ml TXOHPA IL IN LA NY CA NJ KY Wl AL MS SC KA NCMOWMA
Off-Site Transfers
Figure 1-10.
Transfers of TRI Chemicals Across State Lines, 1987. Amounts listed for states receiving transfers from
out-of-state.
Transfer locations were not identified for 102 million pounds (four percent) of the
chemical wastes transferred off-site, so it cannot be determined what fraction, if
any, of this amount was transported to out-of-state locations.
17
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
Twenty-five chemi-
cals accounted for
94 percent of the
total TRI releases
and transfers in
1987.
Chemicals with the Largest Releases and Transfers
The 25 chemicals with the largest TRI totals accounted for 94 percent
of all releases and transfers (Table 1-3). As mentioned earlier, 12.1
billion pounds of sodium sulfate dominated TRI totals, accounting for
54 percent of all releases and transfers. Aluminum oxide was the only
other chemical with a TRI total of greater than one billion pounds,
accounting for 20 percent of the TRI releases and transfers. Both
chemicals are under review by EPA and maybe removed from the TRI
list of reportable chemicals due to a lack of significant toxicity con-
cerns.
TABLE 1 -3. THE 25 TRI CHEMICALS WITH THE LARGEST TOTAL RELEASES
AND TRANSFERS BY MEDIA.1987
ITALTFB
1EASE/
IANSFER
ink CHEMICAL NAME
1 SODIUM SULFATE (SOLUTION)
2 ALUMINUM OXIDE
3 AMMONIUM SULFATE (SOLUTION)
4 HYDROCHLORIC ACID
5 SULFUPJCACID
6 SODtUM HYDROXIDE (SOLUTION)
7 AMMONIA
6 METHANOL
9 TOLUENE
0 PHOSPHORIC ACID
1 ACETONE
2 XYLENE (MIXED ISOMEERS)
3 METHYL ETHYL KETONE
4 1,1,1-TFUCHLOROETHANE
5 COPPER
S ZINC COMPOUNDS
7 DICHLOnOMETHANE
9 CARBON DtSULFIDE
9 CHLORINE
20 AMMONIUM NHBATE (SOLUTION)
21 MANGANESE COMPOUNDS
22 NITRIC Add
23 ZINC (FUME OR DUST)
24 ETHYLENE
25 FREON113
TOTAL AIR
EMISSIONS
Pounds
0
83,645,534
6,381,188
52,512,848
19,406,368
7,880,503
318,026,225
196,038,365
258,279,298
1,615,570
178,340,341
137,243,778
145,810,523
151,233,854
2,370,791
5,753,287
118,439,343
136,167,830
110,349,352
7,545,171
2,043,072
7,204,493
4,270,474
60,792,720
53,105,656
TOTAL
DISCHARGES
TO
SURFACE
WATERS
Pounds
3,061,039,211
36,101,026
90,169,635
13,674,536
77,533,817
78,730,126
31,641,355
24,909,084
339,959
128,832.077
2,032,678
473,529
75,691
40,700
276,053
1,630,598
369,150
22,791
10,975,651
11,716,298
669,597
16,642,456
454,434
12,686
36,587
TOTAL
TRANSFERS
TO PUBLIC
SEWAGE
Pounds
1,052,044,588
2,976,516
189,392,111
57,602.155
100,123,426
239,349.220
36,650.299
92,511,660
3,416,364
15,425,906
14,057,015
4.102,755
612,678
418,360
537,960
1,734,423
1,627,208
180,511
6,552,692
9,804,639
599,063
30,900,534
1,777,237
250
105,101
TOTAL
ON-SITE
RELEASES
TO LAND
Pounds
91,199,023
1,393,735,259
7,249,407
12,114.031
79,173,009
131,481,032
4,967.305
14,702,600
1,747,264
187,196,716
258,979
644,953
68,763
199.061
138.313,940
106,238,413
67,621
3,480
1,529,801
15,076,212
33,932,193
8,914,511
44,081,364
7,436
22,582
TOTAL
JNDEBG ROUND
INJECTION
Pounds
1,738,973,178
56,724,250
611,231,000
413,453.666
135,999,729
34,336,640
47,783,820
19,582,087
1,520,943
73,704
2,280,943
586,751
75,250
28,325
452,890
707,666
560,000
89,500
84,439
58,565,000
10,800,600
9,187,612
189,574
0
617
TOTAL
OFF-SITE
TRANSFERS
Pounds
130,606,774
861,591,039
13,419,977
107,387,120
230,515,099
135,071,893
5,413,883
71,802,772
79,259,364
10,778,338
37,614,073
74,612,447
46,085,612
29,998,240
35,926,437
60,512,500
31,225.718
251,400
1,743,642
12,140,708
66,692,040
25.267,175
40,574,726
6,658,936
9,090,684
TOTAL
RELEASES/
TRANSFERS
Pounds
12,079,565,192
2,434,973,644
917,843,516
656,744,356
642,751,448
626.849,514
444,484,887
419,546,588
344,565,192
343,922,31 1
234,592.029
217,664,213
192,748,517
181,918,560
177,878,091
176,576.887
152,289,040
136,715,1512
131,235, '577
114,648,028
114,736,785
98,136,781
91,347,809
69,472,028
62.361,207
Percent
5364
1081
408
292
285
278
97
86
53
53
04
097
066
081
0.79
078
068
061
058
051
051
044
041
031
028
SUBTOTAL
TOTAL FOR ALL OTHERS
2,064,666,702 9,688,399,925 1,862,504,751 2,272,944,935 3,143,288,384 2,126,260,597 21,063,767,712 9354
590.876,008 27,274,000 73,012,619 178,945,029 99,174,373 491,696,768 1,455.276,379 646
GRAND TOTAL
2,655,542,710 9,615,673,925 1,935,517,370 2,451,889,964 3,242,462,757 2,617,957,365 22,519,044,091 10000
18
-------
A National Summary
10
8
6
Billions of Pounds
Air
Surf. Water Public Sewage On-site Land Undergrnd Off-Site Transf.
A,B,S K\WI Halo-organics i i Metals
Organics I i Mixtures Trade Secrets
Non-metals
Figure 1-11.
TRI Releases and Transfers by Chemical Class, 1987.
[Treatment/No Release 6%
4,726
Neither 8%
5,715
Treatment & Release 44%
32,482
No Treatment/Release 42°/<|
30,951
Total TRI Forms: 74,152
Figure 1-12.
TRI Forms Reporting Waste Treatment and Releases to the Environment, 1987.
19
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
Six chemicals had
total releases and
transfers greater
than 500 million
pounds.
Half of all TR1 facilities
reported treating their
chemical wastes.
Four additional chemicals had TRI totals greater than 500 million
pounds: ammonium sulfate, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and
sodium hydroxide. No TRI chemicals beyond the top 25 accounted
for even 0.3 percent of the TRI total.
TRI chemicals played distinctly different roles in each type of release
or transfer. Aluminum oxide accounted for the largest proportion of
on-site land disposal (55 percent) and off-site transfers (33 percent).
Sodium sulfate, not surprisingly, dominated releases in several
categories: surface water discharges (94 percent), discharges to public
sewage systems (54 percent), and underground injection (54 percent).
Toluene, acetone and trichloroethane each accounted for more than
10 percent of total air emissions of TRI chemicals.
Grouping the 328 TRI chemicals and chemical categories, into five
classes—acids/bases/salts, organics (non-halogenated), halogenated
organics, metals and metal compounds, and non-metallic inor-
ganics—shows how releases and transfers vary among chemicals
(Figure 1-11). Discharges to surface water are dominated by the
acids/bases/salts class, while metals are a large portion of the TRI
on-site land releases. Air emissions and off-site transfers are more
evenly divided among these classes.
Waste Treatment
Just over one half (9,725) of the TRI facilities indicated treating
chemical wastes on-site before releasing or transferring them off-site.
Six percent of all TRI forms reported treating wastes but not releasing
them, which suggests that waste treatment for these chemicals was 100
percent successful (Figure 1-12).
On-site waste treatment was reported for 262 (96 percent) of the 272
chemicals and chemical categories for which TRI forms were
received. No facilities reported on-site treatment for 12 of the chemi-
cals.
The percentage of facilities reporting on-site waste treatment for
individual chemicals varied. For example, 79 percent of the facilities
that reported for nitric acid indicated that they treated wastes con-
taining this chemical. However, only 25 percent of the facilities report-
ing 1,1,1-trichloroethane releases or transfers indicated on-site
treatment of wastes containing it.
20
-------
A National Summary
Waste Minimization
Eleven percent of TRI facilities (2,090 out of 19,278) reported at-
tempts to minimize TRI chemical wastes in the optional waste mini-
mization section on the TRI form. These facilities submitted six
percent of the total TRI forms for 1987. A subset3 of 802 facilities was
examined to detail waste minimization between 1986 and 1987. The
subset reported generating 121 million pounds of waste in 1986 and
only 69 million pounds in 1987, for an overall reduction of 52.4 million
pounds (43 percent.) Factoring in the impact of changes in production
levels, overall reductions appear even larger—more than 60 percent.
Facilities in Michigan, Texas, and Louisiana reported the most waste
minimization (11.5, 8.9 and 4.5 million pounds respectively). On-site
recycle/reuse achieved the largest reductions of waste (21.1 million
pounds), for an overall 50 percent reduction. Self-initiated reviews
were cited most often as the reason for pursuing waste minimization;
regulatory requirements were cited infrequently (Figure 1-13).
Eleven percent of
TRI facilities
reported attempts
to minimize TRI
chemical wastes.
On-site recy-
cling/reuse resulted
in the largest
amount of waste
minimization.
METHOD
On-Site Recycling
Off-Site Recycling
Equipment Changes
Process Changes
Reformulated Product
Chem. Substitution
Improve Housekeeping
Other
1986 WASTE GENERATED—MILLIONS OF POUNDS
^B Wastes Minimized • 1987 Wastes Genrat'd
(Based on 802 forms for 1987)
Figure 1 -13.
Amount of TRI Waste Minimization by Method, 1987.
3 A subset was necessary for two reasons: (1) because the section was optional, the
amount of information provided about waste minimization varied; and (2) many
forms appeared to contain errors that were sorted out of the data for the sake of
accuracy. Because the waste minimization data was optional, neither the full set
of data nor the subset are representative of the nation as a whole.
21
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release inventory
Other Analyses
Geographical
analyses could
focus on releases In
the drainage basins
of major waterways.
This report focusses on the broad national perspectives available from
1987 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data. TRI data can, however, be
analyzed at other levels. National analyses could be narrowed to
provide greater detail about particular topics, or about regional, state,
or local conditions. The two examples provided below—regional
analyses of water systems and exports of chemical wastes—suggest
some of the other analyses for which TRI data can be used.
Regional Analyses: Major Water Systems
Geographical analyses could focus on releases near major water
systems to examine the chemicals that might eventually end up in the
water. For example, six states lie in the Chesapeake Bay's drainage
basin; TRI chemicals released in any of those six could potentially
affect the Bay or the ecosystems it supports. TRI data can be used to
locate all TRI facilities within this region by latitude and longitude and
to display their releases and transfers (Map 1-3). As illustrated, the
heaviest concentrations of TRI releases and transfers are in the area
just north of the Bay and in another area to the southwest.
POUNDS
< 530,000
530,000-3,700,000
> 3,700,000
Map 1-3.
Total TRI Releases and Transfers in the Chesapeake Bay Area, 1987.
22
-------
Executive Summary
POUNDS
< 40,000
40,000-1,240,000
> 1,240,000
Map 1-4.
TRI Discharges to Surface Water in the Chesapeake Bay Area, 1987.
While all releases and transfers of TRI chemicals might affect the Bay
region, direct discharges to surface waters may pose a more immedi-
ate concern. TRI data can be used to map all discharges of TRI
chemicals to surface waters (Map 1-4) that were reported for 1987 in
order to investigate the situation in more detail. Such analyses could
be further refined to examine discharges of a particular chemical or
set of chemicals.
TRI Chemical Exports
An analysis of TRI chemical wastes exported to other countries yields
an international perspective of the manufacture and disposal of TRI
chemicals. The export of TRI chemical wastes from the United States
can be examined by searching the TRI data for off-site transfer
locations outside the United States.
U.S. facilities ex-
ported six million
pounds of toxic
chemical wastes to
13 sites outside the
country.
23
-------
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory
For 1987, TRI facilities identified 13 different sites outside of the
country to which U.S. facilities transferred six million pounds of
chemical wastes (Table 1-4). Canadian sites received the largest
amounts of TRI chemical wastes. The remainder of the exported TRI
chemical wastes were transferred to sites in Europe (in Belgium,
Spain, and the United Kingdom). Some of the international transfers
were recycled, rather than treated or released.
TABLE 1 -4. TOTAL TRI RELEASES AND TRANSFERS FOR THE CHEMICAL
AND ALLIED PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, 1987
TOTAL TRI
RELEASES/
TRANSFERS
SIC
CODE
28-
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
289
"*•• Cumulative
V
Chemicals & All' ' < General
Industrial Inorganic Chemicals
Plastics & Synthetic Organics
Pharmaceutical & Biological Products
Soaps, Cleansers, Cosmetics
Paints
Industrial Organic Chemicals
Pesticides & Agricultural Chemicals
Printing Inks, Explosives & Other
Multiple SIC codes within SIC 28
TOTAL RELEASES AND TRANSFERS
Pounds
17,175,923
1,722,789,318
533,077,745
563,751,841
20,246,433
70,359,051
938,658,593
453,220,589
5,317,647,271
2,451 ,902,907
12,088,829,671
Percent
0.14
14.25
4.41
4.66
0.17
0.58
7.76
3.75
43.99
20.28
100.00
Transfer locations were not identified for 101 million pounds (four percent) of all
off-site transfers, so it cannot be determined what fraction, if any, of this amount
was transported to locations outside the U.S.
24
-------
GETTING ACCESS TO TRI
The TRI Reporting Center is the national repository for all TRI reports submitted to EPA.
The Center can accommodate limited requests for information on individual facilities. TRI
reports filed for 1987 are available from the Center, from States, and from the NLM database
described below. Reports for 1988 will be available shortly after their July 1,1989 due date.
For specific requests, write the name and address of the facility of interest and send it to:
EPA TRI Reporting Center
470-490 L'Enfant Plaza
Suite 7103
Washington, DC 20022
Individual States can also provide TRI data.
TRI data is accessible On computer through the National Library of Medicine's TOXNET
database. For information, contact:
TRI Representative
Specialized Information Services
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20864
(301) 496-6531
TRI is also available through other means, including magnetic tape, microcomputer floppy
disk of individual state data, microfiche of state data and of the national inventory, and
CD-ROM (laser compact disk) of the national inventory. Other means can be purchased
from The National Technical Information Service or the U.S. Government Printing Office
(GPO). For ordering information, contact: The Emergency Planning and Community Right-
to-Know Hotline at 1-800-535-0202.
One or more versions of other means is available to the public at Federal document
depository libraries around the country. Your local library can help you locate the nearest
library containing a Federal depository.
-------
------- |