Using the TRI Explorer

1. Using the TRI Explorer Created By: Group 1

2. What is the TRI Explorer? • Database generated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • Contains detailed information on approximately 650 chemicals and chemical categories • Data obtained from industries including manufacturing, metal and coal mining, electric utilities, commercial hazardous waste treatment, and other industrial sectors. • An interactive site that allows you to create a variety of reports: • Chemical Reports • Facility Reports • Federal Facility Reports • Trend Reports • Geography Reports • Industry Reports • Dynamic Maps

3. Source: Environmental Risk Assessment - Approaches, Experiences and Information Sources, 1999

4. TRI Explorer Home Page This will demonstrate how to create a Chemical report.

5. Setting Up the Report Under Geographic Location, choose Select a state or a county. Select Ohio but don’t click the Select from List of Counties button just yet.

6. Setting Up the Report (cont’d) Select the type of chemicals you want to view. In this case, we are choosing Select a chemical group (e.g. HAPs). HAP stands for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Select the Chemical Released. This example will demonstrate Hazardous air pollutants.

7. Setting Up the Report (cont’d) Under Industry, choose Select from list of SIC Codes(s).

8. Setting Up the Report (cont’d) Select the industries for which you would like to generate reports. In this example, Chemicals and Petroleum are the two industries selected.

9. Setting Up the Report (cont’d) Now you can Select from a List of Counties. Why did we wait? If you do it too soon, you lose your selection when you choose chemicals released and industry. You can select the Year of Data; this example will use 2006.

10. Setting Up the Report Choose the county of your choice. In this example, Allen is selected. These are the final selections. Click Generate Report.

11. Releases: Chemical Report TRI On-site and Off-site Reported Disposed of or Otherwise Released (in pounds), for facilities in Petroleum (324), for Newly added 1995 Chemicals Allen County, Ohio, 2006 The disposal categories in the report are found above the data.

12. Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d) As examples, these categories show where the pollutants were released.

13. Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d) Click on any of the release sites to get a definition of the term.

14. Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d) The up/down triangles sort that column. The default is alphabetical by chemical name, but you can sort by amount released in any of the columns.

15. Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d) You can download all of the data generated in this report to a spreadsheet. See the Note field at the bottom of the report for definitions.

16. Other Report Types Changing the type of report will also change some of the variables (geographic location, chemical released, industry, etc.) from which you can choose. However, it is the same basic process to create the reports. You may have to play with the TRI Explorer some to get exactly what you need.

17. Other Report Types Another feature is the ability to create a map. While different from TOXMAP, you can use it in combination with TOXMAP to create a very powerful statement!

18. TRI Dynamic Maps Just as with the reports, select the variables you want. In this example, the generated map will show releases of your selected chemical in the United States for All Industries.

19. TRI Dynamic Maps (cont’d) Select the chemical desired (tetrachloroethane was selected).

20. Tetrachloroethane in the U.S. To change the percentages that show on the slider, just move the < > on the slider above. To get a closer look at Ohio, simply click in the state.

21. Understanding The Terms • The following terms are often used when evaluating the potential risks associated with a geographical area. • Hazard • Something with the potential to cause harm; however, it does not always put you at risk; "a property or situation that in particular circumstances could lead to harm." (EEA, 1999). • Risk • The potential for disaster; "the combination of the probability, or frequency, of occurrence of a defined hazard and the magnitude of the consequences of the occurrence." (EEA, 1999) • Risk assessment • "A systematic approach for characterizing the nature and magnitude of an occurrence of a hazard." (enHealth, 2002)

22. Source: Environmental Risk Assessment - Approaches, Experiences and Information Sources, 1999

23. Would You Like To Know The Health Risks in Marietta, Ohio? • When conducting an environmental risk assessment of a region, the following steps are considered: • Hazard Identification: You will want to identify the potential health hazards in your neighborhood. The following tools will help you in determining the possible health hazards emitted by industries and businesses in your town. • EPA’s Enviromapper (http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/index.html) - provides a set of web-based interactive mapping tools for viewing and querying environmental information. • EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory Explorer (http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/) – a database containing information on specific toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported by the industry • TOXMAP – a mapping tool that enables the user to see the releases of toxic chemicals in their neighborhood.

24. Using EPA’s Enviromapper Tool (Marietta, Ohio) • To locate facilities that produce potential environmental hazards in Marietta, Ohio (such as harmful air emission, toxic releases, Superfund sites, etc.), you can use EPA's Enviromapper Tool: Envirofacts. • Go to: (http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/index.html) • Enter your Zip code, select What to Map, and hit GO. • Click on the Advanced Options link and follow the three steps: • Step 1: select EPA regulated facilities, • Step 2: choose the location information; I selected Zip Code. You can also choose State, County, City, Watershed, Zip Code, or EPA region. You may also choose to enter latitude/longitude coordinates rather than a geographical locale. • Step 3: SUBMIT! • Select the mapping program and begin on the specific mapping page.

25. After locating a map of Marietta, Ohio, here is what you will see: The Map Features allow you to identify your choices.

26. EPA’s Enviromapper Tool Results • There are more than 50 hazardous waste handlers in and around Marietta, Ohio - meaning that the facility handles some type of hazardous waste). • There are at least 50 sources of air emissions - meaning that the facility releases some kind of potential air pollutant. • There are many facilities with Water Discharge Permits - meaning that a facility holds a permit to release waste water into rivers and tributaries. • There are at least 50 multiple-activity facilities - meaning that the facilities hold more than one permit and/or release more than one kind of potentially hazardous material.

27. Using TOXMAP • TOXMAP is a mapping tool that shows the amount and location of toxic chemicals released into the environment. • In order to find more information about the chemicals released by those sites using TOXMAP. • Go to:(http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/) • The center map displays your selected location and facilities/chemcial releases. You can zoom in or zoom out using the buttons and scale on the right side of the map. • To identify facility/release site names, click on the Identify facilities on this map link. To see additional information about the facilities (i.e. address, chemicals, release amounts, etc.) click on the hotlinked facility name. • In the upper left hand box marked Chemical Reference Info you will find links to the Hazardous Substances Data Bank and Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, both searchable databases with additional information on chemicals and toxins.

28. Using TOXMAP (Marietta, Ohio)

29. Water Quality • What is the water quality in Marietta, Ohio? To find out about the water quality in this neighborhood you would use EPA’s Surf Your Watershed • Go to: (http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm) • You can locate Marietta, Ohio by using the Locate By State option. Simply click on the state to locate your watershed. • You can Find Your Watershed by entering a city, county, river, watershed name, community water system ID# into the search engine. • You can also Enter Your Geographic information (city and state) • The data obtained by these reports will help you in determining the “health” of the watershed in your area. Information such as impaired waters and the total maximum daily loads (TMDL) of the various types of pollutants in the watershed can be found.

30. Using EPA’s Surf Your Watershed (Marietta, Ohio) Marietta, Ohio is located in one watershed.

31. EPA’s Surf Your Watershed (Marietta, Ohio) • Marietta is located in one watershed; Muskingum Watershed. The Clean Water Act requires states to develop lists of impaired waters. These are waters that are too polluted or otherwise degraded to meet the water quality standards.The law requires that these jurisdictions establish priority rankings for waters on the lists and develop TMDLs for these waters. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still safely meet water quality standards. • I would like to find out if streams, rivers or lakes in Marietta, Ohio are impaired. In these reports are information regarding impaired waters, total maximum daily loads (TMDL) of different pollutants, as well as a TMDL document search and lawsuit document search. • The report indicates that there are 24 causes of impairments reported. • Impairments range from siltation to chemical impairments. • There are 7 approved TMDLs.

33. EPA’s TRI Explorer • Before you start, choose a report (chemical, facility, trends, geography, industry) or the dynamic map function from the hotlinks on the left hand side of the screen • To choose a report: • Select a geographic location, chemical released, industry and year of data from the pull down menus. You do not need to select an item from each pull down menu, data will be displayed if you select only one. • Select the report columns you would like to display by clicking the check boxes next to the appropriate data. • Click the generate report button to display a tabulated report. • To choose the dynamic map: • Select a geographic location, chemical released, industry and year of data from the pull down menus. You do not need to select an item from each pull down menu, data will be displayed if you select only one. • Select the release you would like to display on your map by clicking the bullet next to the appropriate data. • Click the map it! button to display a tabulated report. • Once you have arrived at your map, you will find detailed instructions by following the link at the top of the page.

34. TRI Explorer Results • TRI Explorer indicates that there has been numerous toxic releases reported in or around Marietta, Ohio for 2006.(This represents a portion of the entire report.)

35. TRI Explorer Dynamic Map Washington County which includes Marietta, Ohio represents one of the top 4% of counties in Ohio releasing a total of 21,366,620 pounds of pollutants into the environment.

36. CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System • The CDC'sBehavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systemis a mapping tool that illustrates health risks at national, state, and local levels. In other words, are there any unusual health problems in my neighborhood? • Go to (http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/) • From the BRFSS front page select BRFSS mapsyou will be prompted to Select a Year and a Data Category you would like to display on your map (i.e. asthma, nutrition, women's health, etc.). • Select your data and hit the GO button. • You will be taken to a screen with several questions and responses. Choose the Question/response information you would like to display on your map by clicking the highlighted response. • The info button will provide statistical info for the state or MSA of interest. • Click on the Info icon • Click on the state or MSA of interest Map key

37. Results of the BRFSS Search for Ohio (Effect on Human Health) • BRFSS Maps answers some of the questions someone might have regarding how air quality might contribute to the number of people with asthma and the overall health status of Ohioans. The results are: • 8.9% of Ohioans have been told they have asthma. • Only 15.8% of Ohioans report poor health.

38. National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Mortality Maps • What are the incidences of cancer in Ohio? The Atlas of Cancer Mortalityin the U.S., provides a variety of data in the form of maps, text, tables and figures showing geographical patterns and time trends of cancer death rates from time periods 1950-69 and 1970-94 for more than 40 cancers. • Go to http://www3.cancer.gov/atlasplus/type.html • Select All Cancers or one of the many specific cancer types • Select Customized Mortality Maps Select race/gender Select state Select the age range Select time period

39. NCI Cancer Mortality Map for Washington County, Ohio • Select the type of cancer you are searching for in the bullet panel. • Select the county of interest by placing the cursor on the desired county. Ohio has an above average cancer mortality rate (as compared to the rest of the nation).

40. Analysis of The Data • To analyze the data found from the various environmental tools available, I proceed to a website called Scorecard. This website is a search tool that provides an in-depth pollution report for your specific county. Information such as toxics released into the environment, water and air quality, and local polluters in your area are provided. • Go to http://www.scorecard.org/index.tcl • Provide your zip code (for Marietta, Ohio) and click GET REPORT

41. Toxics Released in Washington County, Ohio Select the desired information available.

42. Toxics Released in Washington County, Ohio (the results!) In 2002, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of total environmental releases!

43. Air Quality in Washington County, Ohio To obtain specific information such as obtaining a list of top polluters or how this county compares with others in the U.S., simply click on the appropriate data. *In 2003, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of air quality index.

44. Water Quality in Washington County, Ohio (the results!) Click on See how your county’s water quality stacks up to obtain the information available. Results: Washington County ranks above the national average in terms of dirtiest/worst cities in the US for number of waters impaired.