Toxic chemical releases continue to drop in US, reports EPA
11 May 2005 21:53 [Source: ICIS news]
WASHINGTON (CNI)--The amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment continues to decline, with total reductions of 42% since 1998 and a 6% decrease from 2002 to 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.
EPA released the results of its 2003 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which provides the public with information on chemical releases and provides US industries with a tool to gauge their progress in reducing pollution.
TRI reporting includes toxics managed in landfills and underground injection wells as well as those released into water and the air.
Over 23,000 facilities reported on about 650 chemicals in 2003, the latest year for which information is available. The facilities reported 4.44bn pounds of toxic chemical releases. Over 88% of the total was disposed of or otherwise released on-site, and most of the remaining 12% was sent off-site for disposal.
Although emissions of most chemicals continued to decline, EPA said the 2003 TRI data show certain increases in mercury, PCBs and dioxin. But the agency attributed some of the increases to “reporting anomalies.”
The report indicates that the chlorine sector made steady progress in managing dioxins in 2003, further reducing emissions to air and water. Chlorine industry releases declined 30% between 2002 and 2003, and have dropped 74% since 2000, the first year of dioxin TRI reporting.
EPA said it continues to make progress on electronic reporting by facilities, making it possible to release the data to the public more quickly. For 2003, 86% of reports were submitted electronically.
The data released and analyzed at a national level today were released on a facility-specific basis last November.
TRI tracks the chemicals and industrial sectors specified by the Emergency Community Right to Know Act of 1986 and its amendments. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990 also mandates that TRI collect data on toxic chemicals treated on- site, recycled, and burned for energy recovery.
Together, the laws require facilities in certain industries to report annually on releases, disposal and other waste management activities related to these chemicals.
The TRI data and background information are available to the public at: http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri03/index.htm.
By: Glenn Hess
+1 713 525 2653
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