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                                                                     EPA260-F-02-003
                  Toxics RELEASE INVENTORY
                COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW
WOULD You LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT
RELEASES OF Toxic CHEMICALS nv YOUR
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
(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 manu-
facturing, 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:

•  www.epa.gov/triexplorer
•  www.epa.gov/enviro
•  www.scorecard.org
•  www.rtk.net

These websites 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 specificmedia (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
website atwww.epa.gov/tri or call the TRI User Support
Service at (202) 566-0250.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.Washington, DC 20460

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