Un.tea States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Communications, Education,
And Public Affairs
{A-107)
Environmental News
FOR RELEASE: TUESDAY, MAY 25, 1993
EPA RELEA8ES 1991 T0XZC8 RELEASE INVENTORY DATA
Gven Brown 202-260-1384
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced
that 1991 industrial releases of toxic chemicals into the
nation's environment declined by nine percent since 1990 and have
dropped by 30 percent since the "baseline" year.of 1988.
The Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) is an annual measure of
toxic emissions and wastes generated in the United States. It
also allows EPA and the public to gauge progress in reducing
toxic chemical wastes.
EPA Administrator Carol H. Browner said, "The pollution
trends continue to decline, which is very positive news.
However, there is one trend in these data that does concern us.
Even though emissions of chemicals are decreasing, we don't see a
similar downward trend in waste generation. The data projected
for 1992 and 1993 suggest that generated waste will be flat or
will even increase slightly. The data also suggest that
recycling will decline while quantities of toxic chemicals being
treated will rise. If these projections are true, this is a
disturbing trend.
"The fact that this country is still generating huge volumes
of hazardous waste is why the Clinton Administration has made
pollution prevention a top environmental priority. Pollution
prevention makes it easy to see the link between improved
environmental quality and economic growth. When industry becomes
more efficient, less waste is generated, their 'bottom line*
improves and everyone benefits from a cleaner environment."
A summary of the TRI data released today shows that 2.01
billion pounds of toxic chemicals were reported released into the
nation's air in 1991, a decline of more than 13 percent from the
1990 total. The bulk of this reported reduction was due to
decreased air emissions of industrial solvents like toluene,
acetone, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, as well as decreased
emissions of chlorine and ammonia.
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Reported releases into the nation's rivers, lakes, streams
and other bodies of water totalled 244 million pounds, an
increase of 47 million pounds, or nearly 24 percent. This
increase was due almost entirely to increased runoff from four
fertilizer facilities in Louisiana. Excluding the increases from
those four facilities, reported water releases would have
declined about seven percent nationally since 1990.
Releases to land decreased nine percent, to 421 million
pounds in 1991. Most of this reported reduction is due to
reduced releases of phosphoric acid and several types of metal
compounds. Underground injection of waste declined nearly five
percent, to 710 million pounds.
Browner said, "The Inventory is among our most potent
environmental weapons. The Inventory is really a road map of
toxic chemicals, right down to the local level, .and it puts that
information directly at the fingertips of citizens. We all can
use it to assess potential risks to health and the environment,
act to reduce those risks, and measure the results of our
efforts." EPA makes this information available in many ways,
including a toll free, Right-to-Know hotline. The number is 1-
800-535-0202.
Browner also announced plans to expand the program. "By
November of this year, we will expand the list of Inventory
chemicals by approximately 200," she said. "And as President
Clinton announced on Earth Day, an Executive Order will be issued
soon that will require federal agencies to report the same
information as private facilities do. It is past time for the
government to report to the public the quantity of toxic chemical
pollution it generates. By this time next year, I also will
announce an expansion to include additional industries."
The top five states for TRI releases to air, water, land and
underground injection of waste are Louisiana (459 million
pounds), Texas (411 million pounds), Tennessee (215 million
pounds), Ohio (171 million pounds) and Indiana (136 million
pounds).
A total of 23,719 facilities report environmental releases
of 3.39 billion pounds of toxic chemicals, down from 4.8 billion
pounds last year. An additional 1.07 billion pounds were
transferred off-site for treatment and disposal. This signals a
decline of nearly 19 percent from the previous year.
The top five industry groups for TRI releases are chemical
manufacturing (1.55 billion pounds), primary metals (433 million
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pounds), paper manufacturing (242 million pounds) , rubber 'and
plastics (152 million pounds) and transportation equipment (149
million pounds). The top five industries for total TRI chemicals
in waste are chemical manufacturing (18.6 billion pounds),
primary metals (3.9 billion pounds), petroleum (3.8 billion
pounds), paper (2.5 billion pounds) and rubber and plastics (1.4
billion pounds).
Under requirements of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990,
new data were collected that give a much fuller picture of the
quantity of toxic waste. This new number adds large categories
such as recycling and energy recovery, and totals 38 billion
pounds, attesting to the large volume of chemicals now being
managed by those means. Browner said, "Thirty eight billion
pounds is the equivalent of a line of tank trucks that stretches
half way around the world. It isn't surprising that much more
chemical waste is being managed than released -- a lot more goes
into a treatment facility than comes out the pipe or stack. But
managing huge volumes still costs U.S. industries billions of
dollars each year. The 38-billion-pound figure, will serve as a
baseline to mark future trends."
Reported transfers for treatment and disposal totalled
nearly 1.1 billion pounds in 1991. This includes transfers to
publicly owned sewage treatment plants, as well as transfers to
other off-site locations for treatment and disposal. This is a
decline of 19 percent from 1990 and down 33.5 percent from 1988.
More than 2.3 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were transferred
for recycling and nearly 440 million pounds were transferred for
energy recovery.
In addition to the TRI data in the printed report, all TRI
data for 1991 and prior years are now available to the public
through the National Library of Medicine Toxnet national computer
database and on computer datatapes through NTIS. This summer
diskettes will also be available through NTIS. TRI data for
previous years can be reviewed at over 4,000 libraries across the
United States.
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