Science Fact Finder | The Environment - What Is The Toxic Release Inventory (Tri)?

What is the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)?

TRI is a report containing information on the release of more than 300 individual toxic chemicals and 20 categories of chemical compounds by manufacturing facilities in the United States. Manufacturers are legally bound to report the amounts of chemicals they release directly to air, land, or water, as well as chemical wastes they transfer to off-site treatment or disposal facilities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compiles this information into an annual inventory and makes the information available to the public in a computerized database.

In 1992, 23,630 facilities released a total of 3.2 billion pounds (1.5 billion kilograms) of toxic chemicals into the environment. More than 272 million pounds (124 million kilograms) of this total was released into surface water; 1.8 billion pounds (818 million kilograms) were emitted into the air; more than...

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