DASH Guide:Toxics Release Inventory

This guide is just part of a larger DASH Data Guide.

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data provides information about toxic substances released into the environment or managed through recycling, energy recovery, and treatment in the United States. Annual releases are compiled and reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and shared on the TRI Website. The TRI covers over 650 chemicals and chemical groupings across a broad range of industries. Chemicals covered are linked to cancer or other chronic human health effects, tied to significant adverse human health effects, or significant adverse environmental effects.

What's Included in the Data

Publicly Available

• Location of the release
• Type of substances released
• Amount of toxic substances released

Where to Find the Data

• Basics of TRI reporting on the EPA's Website
• Listing of TRI-Covered Industries on the EPA's TRI Website
• TRI Program FAQ's on the EPA's Website
• Toxics Release inventory homepage
• Lists and fact sheets of TRI-Listed Chemicals
• TRI Explorer - an online lookup tool
• Open Data on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center's Website

Things to Know

When working with TRI data, it's important to have a sense of the reporting criteria, including industrial coverage, size of the facility, and other chemical threshholds. It also helps to have an understanding of how humans may be exposed to the chemicals reported in the TRI data.

• If a facility is 1. in a specific industry sector, 2. employs 10 or more full-time employees, and 3. manufactures, processes, or uses a TRI chemical, it is required to report through the TRI program each year.
• Facilities in specific industries, as defined by a six-digit NAICS code are required to report to the TRI program, however some industries have been granted exceptions or reporting limitations. Industries covered under TRI include mining, utilities, manufacturing, wholesalers, publishers, and hazardous waste facilities. All federal facilities are required to report under TRI.
• The TRI-listed chemicals change from year to year. The EPA's TRI Website has a list of these changes. The EPA also maintains fact sheets containing information on the hazards posed by these chemicals, along with information related to human exposure.