Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a database that contains information about the disposal and releases of over 600 toxic chemicals from thousands of facilities throughout the United States. The TRI contains information about how the facilities manage the disposal of chemicals, such as through surface impoundments, on-site recycling, energy recovery, and chemical treatment. The TRI also reports the quantity (in grams or pounds) of the chemical that is released.
EPA “Right to Know” Act
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Right to Know Act ensures that communities have access to accurate information about toxic releases in their area and that alert systems are in place in case of accidental releases or other emergency environmental hazards. To find air quality reports, information about your local watershed and emergency response plans for local governments visit the EPA Right to Know page.2
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2011a). Toxics Release Inventory. Toxics Release Inventory Program. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/tri/index.htm
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2011, June). Learn about your right to know. Resources: Protecting the Environment. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/epahome/r2k.htm