Toxic release Inventory ( TRI)

1. Toxic release Inventory (TRI) Becca Billings

2. TRI purpose • By law, all facilities as well as federal industries are required annually to submit a toxic waste release form that shows how much chemical waste has been disposed of into the environment. • Land • Water • Air • Underground injection release • Also tracks the facilities management of the waste through ways of recycling, treatment, and quantities of toxic chemicals sent to other facilities for further management. • 10+ full-time employees; process 25,000lbs total; or use 10,000+lbs of 1 TRI chemical • Submit forms by July 1steach year • 650+ chemicals in TRI system; doesn’t cover all chemicals/companies.

3. brief history • On December 4, 1984 (Bhopal, India): toxic methyl isocyanate gas escaped a chemical plant. Killed thousands and today there are survivors with permanent disabilities because of exposure. The worst industrial disaster in history. • In 1985 (West Virginia): Another serious chemical release at a similar plant. • (EPCRA) was established In 1986 by Congress known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. • Support and promote emergency planning; provides public with information toxic chemicals releases in their area. • TRI was created under Section 313 of EPCRA.

4. Types of records • Data of toxic chemicals emitted into air, land, water, underground • Waste management transfers • http://www.rtknet.org/db/tri

5. WHO Provides & Maintains TRI data records? • Established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) • Maintained by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Data are from annual reports made by U.S. industrial and federal facilities • TRI Data from chemical reduction, recycling information and waste transfer information is included because of Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. • Access TRI though: • Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) • Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS) • National Library of Medicine (NLM) • TOXNET athttp://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov

6. Who provides access to TRI?) • PUBLIC DATABASE (BECAUSE OF): • Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) • Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS) • National Library of Medicine (NLM) • TOXNET

7. How is database indexed? • Searches on toxic waste data by: • Year (1987-PRESENT) • Institution/facility/company • City, State • County/Zip Code • Chemical name/Substance name/name fragment • Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (CAS/RN) • Chemical releases in pounds (>15,000) • Individual releases added together for a total amount • Short form (form A) or Long form (Form R); or both • North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification Code (SIC) • NAICS now used as of 2006 • What can be done with results: • Printed, download, or saved • Displayed in by relevancy; sort by substance, facility, location • View maps of the US to visually see data

8. Who would find this specialized database useful? • Everyone! • Public • All contributing facilities & industries • Government • Environmental organizations • Legal individuals • It’s a database that has information on waste management and hazardous chemical materials. Pollution affects our health as well as the planets.

9. TRI Search

16. Questions? Comments …That’s all, folks!