EPA'S TOXICS RELEASE INVENTORY (TRI):
THE DIAZ FAMILY LEARNS THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW
ABOUT Toxic CHEMICALS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD
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THE DIAZ FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS
Julio s family has gathered at the park for lunch after his soccer game...
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.-.. ••
«*»
Wow, Julio, you
layed really well!
Thanks, it was a
hard game. I'm
pretty hungry now!
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Don t worry, Julio, we
have lots of food here
for you and your team.
Who lives there? That s the
biggest chimney I have ever seen!
That snot a house,
silly. It's a factory
Why does a
factory need
a chimney?
\r
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Its called a
smokestack, son.
Smoke, steam, or
even toxic chemicals
can come out of
smokestacks and go
up Into the air.
Rosie, do you wonder
what's coming out of
that smokestack?
Yes, because this soccer field is so
close to it, and I worry about the kids.
I wish there was something I could
do to learn more about that factory
and other ones around here, but I
don't know where to start.
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It seems like we should have
the RIGHT TO KNOW about
toxic chemicals coming out of
factories in our neighborhood.
Mother parent, Miguel, overhears the conversation and joins in..
J
Hi, how is everybody? You know, I work at that
factory! There is a law that says that certain
factories must tell us about how much pollution
they are creating. They must also tell us about
what types of chemicals they are producing and
sending out of their smokestacks, out of pipes
into the water or onto the land.
But I don't see any
smoke coming out of
that smokestack.
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You don t have to see smoke. Some chemicals I-
come out as fumes that you can't, see...
...and others come out and spread
into the water and onto land.
but how can we find
out about the toxic
chemicals that come
out of the factory?
from a website run by the
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) called TRI! TRI stands for
"Toxics Release Inventory." Congress
created the TRI in the 198>0's as
part of the Emergency Planning and
^\ Community Right-to-Know Act.
i
J I can show you on my smartphone right here. L ^.\
You can look it up on a computer too.
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Wow! It shows our whole
neighborhood. See Julio,
we're here and there's the
factory where Miguel works
Look, all I do is type in
http://myrtk.epa.aoy/info. and then
type in our street address, and we'
see which factories around here
eported toxic chemical releases.
Well, it says here the
factory released 8>00
pounds of one chemical
to the air and 450
pounds of another
chemical into the water.
What does it
say, Mom?
But there are lots of environmental
laws that factories must follow to
control their toxic chemical releases
and to protect the environment.
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It shows here on my smartphone what EPA is doing to make sure that factories
are following the law. Even if a factory is doing what the law says it has to do, that
doesn't mean that we shouldn't ask questions. We can work with our neighbors to
encourage factories like that one to do more to protect the environment.
\r ••:*=•
Factories use chemicals to
make cars, refrigerators,
computers, and other things
that we use every day.
Why does the factory
use all those chemicals
in the first place?
Is there someone
at the factory I can
ask about this?
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Yes. You can look up the name and
phone number of the person at
the factory who can answer your
questions at myrtk.epa.aoy/info.
Miguel, won't those chemicals
make the kids sick?
The TRI website at
www.epa.aoy/tri
can point you to
where you can learn
more about toxic
chemicals, pollution
human health.
Well, TRI tells us a lot about
chemicals that come out of
many factories. This is very
important,. But, it can't tell
us if those chemicals enter
our bodies or cause health
problems. That would require
more information.
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How come I don't see anything
about all the smelly trucks
passing by here when I look up
TRI information'?
TRI doesn t cover all
types of pollution.
Thanks, Miguel.
I'm going to use a
computer at the
library to learn
more about this.
We can talk to my science
teacher too. She knows a lot
about environmental issues
and she runs an environmental
group in town.
You won't find information in TRI, for example, about pollution from
cars and trucks, gas stations, and lead paint in homes. But TRI can help
us find out a lot about pollution from many factories. It can also tell us
whether or not they are trying to prevent or reduce their pollution.
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Carla at the health department, is also very helpful,
and she knows lots of people at other local and
state agencies who can help answer your questions
Yes, having this information is so
important. And it's our RIGHT TO KNOW!
It's also my right to eat!
Ok, everybody, let's have lunch.
Our food is getting cold!!!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, you can go to any of these resources:
Call theTRI Information Center: 500-424-9346 (Select menu option #3)
Website for genera ITRI information: www.epa.gov/tri and website for TRI information for
communities: www.epa.gov/tri/communities
Contact your EPA REGIONAL TRI COORDINATOR: www.epa.gov/tri/reaionalcoordinators
Email the TRI HELP DESK: tri.help@epa.tiov
Use this link to report what appears to you as a possible violation of environmental laws and
regulations: www.epa.tiov/enforcement/complaints
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