The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a publicly avail-
able EPA database of information on toxic chemi-
cal releases and waste management activities
reported annually by certain industries and by fed-
eral facilities.
This inventory was established under the Emer-
gency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
of 1986 which was enacted to promote emergency
planning, to minimize the effects of chemical acci-
dents, and to provide the public with information
on releases of toxic chemicals in their communi-
ties. TRI requirements are legally enforceable
under EPCRA.
What is a release?
A TRI "release" is the amount of a TRI toxic chemi-
cal that is discharged or emitted by a facility to the
environment. TRI includes more than 600 chemi-
cals and chemical compounds.
There are two major categories of releases: on-site
and off-site.
On-site releases occur at the facility and are catego-
rized as: 1) air emissions, 2) discharges to surface
water, 3) underground injections, and 4) releases
to land.
Off-site releases are transfers to other facilities for
disposal, treatment, or recycling.
Releases and Health Effects
In the TRI program, facilities report only the amount
(in pounds) of their chemical releases. To evaluate
risk, release data must be combined with informa-
tion about chemical toxicity, site-specific conditions,
and exposure. TRI information can be combined
with additional information and tools to better iden-
tify potential health risks from industrial toxics re-
leases.
Who is Reporting?
A facility is subject to TRI reporting requirements if
it meets all three of the following requirements:
1) has 10 or more full-time employee equivalents
(20,000 work hours per year); 2) is classified under
a reportable North American Industrial Classifica-
tion Code (NAICS); and 3) manufactures, processes,
or otherwise uses any of the listed toxic chemicals
in amounts greater than the threshold quantities.
Reporting thresholds for most chemicals are 25,000
pounds for chemicals manufactured or processed,
and 10,000 pounds for chemicals otherwise used.
Manufacturing industries have been reporting their
releases since 1987 and federal facilities since
1994. In 1998, seven additional industry sectors
began reporting their toxic chemical releases to
EPA. These sectors are metal and coal mining, elec-
tricity generation, commercial hazardous waste
treatment, solvent recovery, petroleum bulk termi-
nals, and wholesale chemical distributors.
Persistent Bioaccumulative
and Toxic (PBT) Chemicals
In the year 2000, TRI was expanded to include ad-
ditional Persistent Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT)
chemicals and to require reporting for these chemi-
cals at lower thresholds, ranging from 0.1 grams to
100 pounds depending on the chemical. PBT pol-
lutants are toxic chemicals that persist in the envi-
ronment and bioaccumulate in food chains, posing
risks to human health and ecosystems.
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The 2009 Public Data Release
EPA has made public the 2009 data on toxic chemi-
cals that were released to the air, water, and land.
This data is available through the EPA websites
listed below. For reports on states and islands in
Region 9, visit the Region 9 website at: http://
www.epa.gov/region9/toxic/tri/
Note: Year-to-year data comparisons do not reflect
changes in reporting requirements. Also, no ad-
justments were made to account for double count-
ing that could occur as a result of off-site transfers
of some TRI facilities also being reported as on-site
releases at permitted hazardous waste landfills
and other TRI facilities that receive the on-site trans-
fers. For example, if Facility A reports to TRI 10,000
pounds off off-site transfer to Facility B; Facility B
will also have to report that same 10,000 pounds
as on-site releases for their facility.
Who Can I Contact About TRI Information?
Region 9 staff will answer questions and assist you
in learning more about the TRI Program.
Russel Frazer
Patricia Maravilla
Penny Reddy:
(Coordinator)
415-947-4220,
frazer.russell@epa.gov
415-947-4177,
maravilla.pat@epa.gov
415-972-3108
reddy.penny@epa.gov
Where Can I Find Information on TRI?
For national information on data releases, see:
http://www.epa.gov/tri
The TRI data is available through Envirofacts Ware-
house, EPA's main internet site for environmental
information at:
http://www.epa.gov/enviro
Or the TRI Explorer tool:
http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer
For general information on the Toxics Release
Inventory, including reporting requirements for
businesses, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/region9/toxic.tri
For more information on EPA's PBT Chemicals
Program, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/ODDtintr/Dbt
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