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WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT RELEASES OF TOXIC CHEMICALS IN
YOUR OUR COMMUNITY?
Are you concerned about what toxic chemicals are being released
in your community? Do you live near businesses that use toxic chemicals?
Would you like to know about toxic chemicals being released near
your child's school or near your local reservoir? By law, you have
the right to know about toxic chemicals that are being released
into your community.
EMERGENCY PLANNING AND COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW ACT
A federal law called the Emergency Planning and Community Right
to Know Act (EPCRA) gives you the right to know about toxic chemicals
being released into the environment. The law requires facilities
in certain industries, which manufacture, process, or use significant
amounts of toxic chemicals, to report annually on their releases
of these chemicals. The reports contain information about the types
and amounts of toxic chemicals that are released each year to the
air, water, and land as well as information on the quantities of
toxic chemicals sent to other facilities for further waste management.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains this information
in a database called the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which is
available to the public over the Internet (http://www.epa.gov/tri)
and in written reports.
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The TOXICS
RELEASE INVENTORY
Begun in 1988, the Toxics Release Inventory contains information on
releases of nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories from industries
including manufacturing, metal and coal mining, electric utilities,
and commercial hazardous waste treatment, among others. If you or
your library have access to a computer, you can easily find information
on toxic chemical releases over the Internet at:
These websites provide access to specific data and trend information
on individual facilities, counties, states, or the nation as whole.
In addition, you can analyze the data by industry, by specific media
(e.g., air, water, or land), and by chemical. If you don't have
access to a computer, you can get written reports from the TRI User
Support Service at (202) 566-0250.
FOR MORE FREE INFORMATION
For more information on the Toxics Release Inventory Program, including
the data, reporting requirements, reports, and key contacts, you
can go to EPA's TRI website at http://www.epa.gov/tri
or call the TRI User Support Service at (202) 566-0250.
(PDF Version of this document,
48 KB)
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