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Toxic Release Data Available to the Public Earlier Than ever

Release Date: 02/21/2008
Contact Information: Cathy Milbourn, (202) 564-4355 / [email protected]

(Washington, D.C. _ February 21, 2008) Information on the 2006 reporting year is now available as part of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) database. Today marks the earliest release of the data in the 20-year history of the program. Improvements in electronic reporting and data processing have made this possible. Nation-wide chemical releases into the environment are down by two percent from 2005.

“Citizens have information about hundreds of chemicals at their finger tips and, we’re getting that information to them faster than ever with improvements made in electronic reporting, data processing, and analysis,” said EPA’s Chief Information Officer, Molly O’Neill. “Making the public aware of this inventory of releases is a powerful tool for reducing pollution. From 2001 to 2006 we have seen a 24 percent decrease in total releases.”

The TRI is an on-line electronic database, housing information about chemical releases at facilities across the country. TRI tracks and contains detailed information on releases of nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories from about 23,000 industrial and federal facilities. The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 established the TRI program. In 1990, The Pollution Prevention Act expanded the program by including data on toxic chemicals released, as well as treated, recycled, and burned for energy recovery.

EPA has been providing information to the public about chemical releases into the air, water and land at facilities nation-wide. This information is getting to the public earlier and faster than ever and is accessible by geographic location, industry sector, and individual chemicals.

Information about the 2006 reporting year is available at: http://epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri06/index.htm

General information about TRI is available at: www.epa.gov/tri

A brochure that provides an overview of the 2006 data is available at: http://epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri06/brochure/brochure.htm