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Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program
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International TRI

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Pollutant
Release
and
Transfer
Registers
(PRTRS)
and
Multi-
Media
Emission
Inventories
 

The United State's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is one of several similar programs established, or being established, by countries around the world. The term used internationally for these TRI-like systems is Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR).

Basic Characteristics of a PRTR

  • Facility specific data
  • Standardized data
  • Chemical specific data
  • Annual reporting
  • Public Access of the data
  • Mandatory reporting
  • Limited trade secrecy
  • For each chemical, data on releases to air, water and land
  • For each chemical, data on transfers of the chemical in waste

Above are some of the basic characteristics for a PRTR. PRTRs are the most comprehensive of a type of environmental program called emission inventories. Nations with emission inventories collect data on releases to one or more environmental media (air, water, land), thus gathering a subset of the data that is gathered under a PRTR system.

A multi-stakeholder group from Canada, the United States and Mexico designed a user-friendly brochure that describes a PRTR, its benefits and uses. The brochure is available in English [PDF Format 283KB] and in Spanish [PDF Format 314KB].

Each government that develops a PRTR often expands on these basic elements. The U.S. TRI, for example, provides the public with data for on-site waste management of chemicals. The Japanese PRTR, for which facilities are reporting for the first time in 2001, will include data on diffuse sources (e.g., automobiles). The Canadian PRTR, called the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) Exit Disclaimer collects data on the number of employees at each facility.

Mexico has designed a national PRTR, but it is voluntary. Thus, few facilities have submitted PRTR reports. However, at a meeting with his counterparts from Canada and the U.S., the Mexican environment minister has committed to introducing legislation to make the Mexican PRTR mandatory. Since that meeting, the Mexican Congress has passed the legislation. Next steps for the Mexican government include developing the regulations to implement the mandatory PRTR.

The Czech Republic (the web site language is Czech)Exit Disclaimer also plans to introduce legislation for a mandatory PRTR. The Czech Republic has been active in the international arena on PRTR issues.

Australia's National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) Exit Disclaimer, which has collected on-site release data for several years, is having internal discussions on expanding its system to include data on transfers off-site. Norway (the web site language is Norwegian) Exit Disclaimercollects on-site release data and transfer data, although the transfer data is for total waste rather than chemical specific.

The United Kingdom has collected on-site release data for certain processes within facilities, which it provides on its Pollutant Inventory Exit Disclaimer website. In addition, an environmental organization (Friends of the Earth) has obtained the data from the government and created its own website, called Factory Watch.Exit Disclaimer

 
North
American
PRTRs
 

In North America, the governments of the U.S., Canada and Mexico are working together to improve the ability to compare data from their three PRTR systems. This work is coordinated by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) Exit Disclaimer, an organization created with the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA). The NACEC's work includes helping Mexico establish a PRTR comparable to t he U.S. and Canadian PRTRs, publishing an annual report titled Taking Stock that compiles and compares the PRTR data, and operating a searchable website of comparable North American PRTR data.

 

PRTR Work by
International
Organizations

 

The United States is working with other countries and with international organizations to facilitate PRTR development. The international efforts on PRTRs originated with the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), commonly known as the Earth Summit. At this meeting, the governments of the world charted an environmental action plan for the 21st century. The action plan, titled Agenda 21, included a chapter on policies to improve the sound management of the chemicals. This, Chapter 19Exit Disclaimer, called on nations to establish emission inventories and to make the resulting information available to the public.

In 1993, the U.S., along with other nations, international organizations, industry groups, and environmental organizations, met to chart a course for the development of these emission inventories. They coined the name PRTR to reflect the goal of collecting comprehensive information on the releases and transfers of pollutants from facilities.

In subsequent years, the nations of the world have met to assess progress on the Earth Summit's goals on chemicals management issues, which includes PRTRs. At the most recent of these Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) Exit Disclaimer meetings, there was a special session on PRTRs. The final document from this meeting, Forum III, stresses the importance of public access and public participation and emphasizes the characteristics that are essential for a successful PRTR.

Forum III
Priorities for Action Beyond 2000

[PRTRs/emission inventories] are recognized … as an important tool to raise public awareness about potential chemical risks and as an effective environmental management tool to stimulate chemical risk reduction. Although PRTRs are designed to be country-specific, there are commonalities between national systems. Common characteristics of many successful PRTR programmes include: a listing of pollutants; environmental multi-media and/or integrated reporting of releases and transfers (i.e., to air, water, and land); reporting of data by source; reporting of data periodically (normally annually); and making data and information available to the public.

A number of international organizations have ongoing PRTR programs. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD Exit Disclaimer coordinated PRTR activities between the industrialized nations of Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The U.S. presently is the chair of an OECD task force to improve information about the techniques used to estimate releases. The goal is to enable the OECD governments to provide effective guidance to its reporting industries.

Two United Nations organizations are working with developing nations to design and implement PRTR systems. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Exit Disclaimeris working with countries in the former Soviet Union, while the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Exit Disclaimer has focused on nations in Latin America, Africa, and Central Europe.

 

The PDF Files on this site were created with Adobe Acrobat 5.0. You will need Adobe Acrobat 5 Reader Exit Disclaimer to view them. Click here for more information about Adobe Acrobat.

 

 
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