The Toxics Release Inventory contains emissions data for operating facilities that have on-site releases of toxic chemicals to air, water and land. The TRI is a mandatory reporting program managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It includes emission estimates from more than 21,000 facilities across the country and covers approximately 767 air toxics.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality Division provides an annual Toxics Release Inventory Summary Report for the state using EPA's data. TRI emissions are estimates made by the facilities themselves to and submitted to the TRI database. The information provided is not actual measurements of emissions but instead are mathematical calculations of what each facility estimates it is emitting in pounds for a given year. Details in the DEQ summary reports may be used to identify emissions from facilities in Oregon that need further evaluation.
While a facility's estimated TRI emissions may be within current regulatory limits, DEQ and EPA are committed to communities having the 'Right to Know' what is in their air. In general, toxic chemicals covered by the TRI Program are those that are known to cause one or more of the following:
- Cancer or other chronic human health effects
- Significant adverse acute human health effects
- Significant adverse environmental effects
As with all pollutants, the severity of the effects is dependent on the amount, exposure and type of chemical emitted. The TRI represents the amounts of emissions but does not provide information on related health risks. EPA uses TRI data in combination with other types of emissions inventories to estimate health risks through.
EPA's AirToxScreen.
How the Toxics Release Inventory works
If a facility is emitting a pollutant in large enough amounts to exceed TRI limits, or thresholds, then that facility must submit emissions estimates for that pollutant to the TRI, as required by the EPA. There are basically three types of TRI thresholds:
If a facility manufactures or processes a chemical that is estimated to be emitted at greater than 25,000 pounds per year, and that chemical is not persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic (“PBT" as defined per the Inventory), that facility must submit an emissions estimate to the TRI for that chemical.
“Persistent" - The chemical does not break down easily and stays around for a long time.
“Bioaccumulative" - The chemical travels to the tissues of humans, animals or plants and builds up to higher concentrations in that tissue over time.
“Toxic" - A chemical's health effects, such as causing cancer or liver damage.
Emissions estimates must also be submitted to the TRI if a chemical that is “otherwise used" at the facility and is not persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic is emitted at greater than 10,000 pounds/year. The term “otherwise used" includes any use of a toxic chemical contained in a mixture or other trade name product or waste, that is not covered by the terms manufacture or process.
The TRI also has a list of 21 persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic chemicals that must be reported at much lower levels if manufactured, processed or otherwise used by a facility. For example, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) must be reported if emitted at over 100 pounds in a year; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) if over 10 pounds in a year; and dioxins and dioxin-like compounds if over 0.1 gram in a year.
EPA takes this reporting very seriously and facilities can be penalized if they report amounts that are lower than what's actually being emitted. Based on experience with previous TRI data, DEQ found that some facilities provided overestimates of their emissions to avoid inadvertently submitting underestimates. Although this is not a common occurrence, it is one reason for DEQ's review of TRI data.