Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2017 National Analysis
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY presents an overview of the most recent Toxics Release
Inventory (TRI) data, and summarizes the detailed information found at EPA's TRI National
Analysis website.
What is TRI?
Congress established the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to ensure that every community is
empowered with access to information on what chemicals are being handled and released
at nearby facilities. TRI includes information on chemical wastes managed, environmental
releases of chemicals, and activities that reduce waste generation. These data are submitted
to EPA annually by U.S. facilities in industry sectors such as mining, manufacturing, electric
power generation, and commercial hazardous waste management.
TRI data are used by communities, researchers, and government
TRI data are publicly available and EPA's web-based tools allow anyone to retrieve the data
and conduct their own analyses.
The TRI National Analysis is EPA's presentation of the most recent data
The National Analysis is part of EPA's commitment to transparency and enhances public
understanding of the environmental challenges here in the U.S. by:
• Summarizing reported data on releases and other waste management practices of
chemicals, and providing trend analyses of these data
• Providing interactive tools that support access to and exploration of TRI data
21,500 facilities located in every state reported to TRI for 2017
Facilities have until July 1 of each year to submit data from the previous year. These data
then undergo quality reviews by EPA. The 2017 data are now ready to be explored.
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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2017 National Analysis
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since 2007, releases to the environment have decreased by 7%
For 2017, TRI facilities reported in total 3.9 billion pounds of TRI chemicals disposed of or
otherwise released to air, water, and land.
• Releases were greater than quantities reported for 2016, but 7% less than releases
reported for 2007.
• On-site land disposal, largely from metal mining, accounted for 70% of total release
quantities.
Disposal or Other Releases
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year
On-site Air Releases On-site Surface Water Discharges
On-site Land Disposal Off-site Disposal or Other Releases
• As with any dataset, there are several factors to consider when using the TRI data, which are summarized
in the Introduction to the 2017 National Analysis. For more information see Factors to Consider When
Using Toxics Release Inventory Data, which discusses how:
— The level of toxicity varies among the covered chemicals: data on amounts of the chemicals alone
are inadequate to reach conclusions on health-related risks;
— The presence of a chemical in the environment must be evaluated along with the potential and actu-
al exposures and the route(s) of exposures, the chemical's fate in the environment and other factors
before any statements can be made about potential risks associated with the chemical or a release;
— Regulatory controls apply to many of the releases reported;
— Many options for managing wastes are subject to stringent technical standards and state and federal
regulatory oversight;
— Some TRI reporters send chemicals off-site to be managed at specialized waste management facili-
ties that are also subject to TRI reporting requirements. Since both the facilities sending waste and
the facilities receiving waste report to TRI, adjustments must be made to avoid double counting.
• In the 2017 National Analysis, EPA has provided more context and enabled better interpretation of the
release data submitted by metal mining facilities, including the ability to view trends in land disposal both
with and without metal mining releases.
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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2017 National Analysis
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Air emission reductions are the largest part of the declining trend in
release quantities
• Quantities released to air decreased by 57% (by 757 million pounds) from 2007 to 2017.
• Almost every sector reduced its releases to air, with the largest reduction coming from
the electric utilities sector.
— Electric utilities have driven the decrease: a shift from coal to other fuel sources, the
installation of control technologies at coal-fired power plants, and the implemen-
tation of environmental regulations have all reduced air releases of TRI chemicals
from electric utilities.
— Hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen fluoride, methanol, toluene, and styrene
have had the greatest reductions in air releases since 2007.
On-site Air Releases
1,400 -
"U
1,200 -
c
o
1,000 -
o_
4—
o
800 -
(f)
c
o
600 -
400 -
200
0
llllllii
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year
¦ Stack Air Emissions ¦ Fugitive Air Emissions
Each year, the TRI National Analysis examines key industry sectors
• This year's TRI National Analysis highlights the following sectors: manufacturing, chemical
manufacturing, paint and coating manufacturing, electric utilities, metal mining, and federal
facilities.
• Of these sectors, manufacturing is the broadest. It includes goods-producing industries
that transform materials into products such as food, textiles, paper, chemicals, plastics,
electronics, furniture and vehicles.
— Since 2007, releases by manufacturing facilities decreased by 25%. This is primarily
due to a reduction in air emissions and off-site disposal.
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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2017 National Analysis
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since 2010, releases have remained steady or slightly decreased even as production
has increased following the economic recession.
Manufacturing facilities reported initiating more than 3,500 source reduction
activities to reduce TRI chemical use and waste generation in 2017.
Total Disposal or Other Releases: Manufacturing Sectors
2,000
1 1,500
3
O
Q_
C
J 1,000
500
On-site Air Releases
i On-site Land Disposal
i On-site Surface Water Discharges
Off-site Disposal or Other Releases
h
I | I | I I I | |
2007 2008 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year
In 2017, facilities implemented nearly 4,000 new projects to reduce
pollution at its source
• Facilities report any newly implemented projects that eliminate or reduce the generation
of chemical waste. These projects are referred to as "source reduction activities." Source
reduction success stories presented in the National Analysis highlight effective practices
that other facilities can replicate. EPA's TRI Pollution Prevention Search Tool promotes
these opportunities for knowledge transfer by allowing users to search for source reduc-
tion activities that might be relevant to their operations.
• The figures below summarize the most frequently reported source reduction activities
for the chemicals and industry sectors with the highest source reduction reporting rates
over the last 5 years. For these chemicals and industries, good operating practices and
process modifications are the most frequently reported source reduction activities.
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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2017 National Analysis
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Newly Implemented Source Reduction Activities by Chemical, 2013-2017
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
STYRENE
ANTIMONY AND
ANTIMONY
COMPOUNDS
DICHLOROMETHANE TRICHLOROETHYLENE
DI(2-ETHYLHEXYL)
PHTHALATE
Good Operating Practices
Raw Material Modifications
¦ Surface Preparation and Finishing
Process Modifications
l Inventory Control
Cleaning and Degreasing
Spill and Leak Prevention
l Product Modifications
Newly Implemented Source Reduction Activities by Industry, 2013-2017
a 2,000
if! 1,600
+-»
;>
§ 1,200
a.
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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2017 National Analysis
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
87% of the total quantity of TRI chemical
waste that facilities managed was not re-
leased into the environment
Recycling
Energy Recovery
Treatment
Source Reduction
• In addition to quantities released, facilities report
the quantities of TRI-Iisted chemicals that they man-
age through recycling, energy recovery, or treatment.
• EPA encourages facilities to first eliminate the creation
of chemical waste through source reduction activities. For
wastes that are generated, the most preferred management
method is recycling, followed by combustion for energy recov- ~
ery, treatment, and, as a last resort, disposing of or otherwise releasing the chemical
waste into the environment. This hierarchy is discussed in the Pollution Prevention Act
(PPA) of 1990. One goal of the PPA is that over time facilities will shift toward the more
preferred techniques. The TRI data indicate that facilities have indeed done so.
• Facilities continue to use these preferred practices to manage most (87%) of TRI-report-
ed waste, with only 13% disposed or of otherwise released to the environment in 2017.
Production-Related Waste Managed, 2017
30.57 billion pounds
Disposed of or
Otherwise
Released:
1
_
13%
Treated:
Recycled:
48%
Energy
Recovery:
10%
Visit the full report
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