by Brianna Crandall — January 18, 2013—Total toxic air releases in 2011 declined 8% from 2010, mostly because of decreases in hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions, although total releases of toxic chemicals increased for the second year in a row, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report just published. The report shows a steady decline in the amount of TRI chemicals released into the air since 1998, and more than a 100-million-pound decrease since 2009.
The annual TRI provides citizens and businesses with vital information about their communities. The TRI program collects information on certain toxic chemical releases to the air, water and land, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities by facilities across the country. TRI data are submitted annually to EPA, states and tribes by facilities in industry sectors such as manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste facilities. Many of the releases from TRI facilities are regulated under various EPA programs and requirements designed to limit harm to people’s health and the environment.
Among the HAPs showing decline were hydrochloric acid and mercury. Likely reasons for the decreases seen over the past several years include installation of control technologies at coal-fired power plants and a shift to other fuel sources. Releases into surface water decreased 3% and releases to land increased 19% since 2010, with the latter again due primarily to the metal mining sector, reflecting small changes in the chemical composition of the ore being mined, multiplied by the large volumes of material. Other industry sectors also saw smaller increases in releases, including the hazardous waste management sector.
EPA has improved this year’s TRI national analysis report by adding new information about facility efforts to reduce pollution, insights into why air releases are declining, and an enhanced analysis of releases on tribal lands. With this report and EPA’s Web-based TRI tools, citizens can access information about TRI-listed toxic chemical releases in their communities and across the country. EPA’s TRI mobile application, myRTK, geographically displays nearby facilities that report to the TRI program, as well as facilities with EPA air, water or hazardous waste program permits.
