U.S. E.P.A. Issues California Toxic Release Data, Lead and Ammonia Among Most Common
Latest report shows 44 million pounds of toxics released into environment, a decrease of nearly twelve million pounds
(12/8/09--SAN FRANCISCO) Toxic delivers into the environment from facilities operating in California decreased 21 percent in 2008 when compared to 2007, according to the latest data accessible from the E.P.A.. The twelve million pound decline reflects reported decreases in air, water, and land delivers and off-site transfers.
The data comes from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, commonly referred to as TRI. It's one of the EPA's biggest publicly accessible databases, arming communities with valuable information on in excess of 650 toxic chemicals released by various industries. The chemical information in the inventory is calculated by industrial facilities and reported to the EPA, as required by law.
"We encourage people to use data from the Toxics Release Inventory in order to gain a better understanding of what is being released into their neighborhoods," said Laura Yoshii, acting E.P.A. administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. "Industry and communities informed with accurate information can use the inventory as a starting point to find opportunities to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we enjoy."
In California, 1,336 facilities reported a total of 44 million pounds of toxic chemical releases.
Total delivers include toxic chemicals discharged by facilities to air, water, land, and underground, and the amount transferred off-site for disposal. Regulatory controls apply to many of the reported releases. Reporting facilities must comply with environmental requirements set by local, state and federal agencies.
Here's a look at toxic delivers in California from 2006 - 2008, reported in pounds:
|
|
Reporting Year
|
|
Type of Release
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
|
Air
|
16,899,520
|
15,253,412
|
12,471,128
|
|
Land (On-site)
|
14,259,549
|
27,503,142
|
23,719,878
|
|
Underground Injection
|
50,938
|
69,922
|
104,807
|
|
Water
|
5,018,431
|
4,058,695
|
2,227,272
|
|
Off-site disposal
|
8,981,037
|
9,059,482
|
5,420,739
|
|
Total On- & Off-site delivers
|
45,20,9475
|
55,944,653
|
43,943,824
|
Data from 2008 in California show:
§ Total reported on-site and off -site delivers decreased 21% due primarily to decreases across all media-air, water and land delivers and off-site transfers with the exception of the increase in underground injection delivers
§ Air delivers decreased by 18%, 2.9 million pounds
§ Water delivers decreased by 45%, 1.8 million pounds
§ California reported an increase in underground injection delivers of 50%, 34,885 pounds
§ The top 5 released chemicals are lead, ammonia, asbestos, zinc compounds, and nitrate compounds
§ Hazardous waste, petroleum refineries and gold ore mining account for 68% of total delivers
§ In California, eight million pounds of total delivers of PBT chemicals were reported, a 19% decrease or 1.9 million pounds. Lead and lead compounds top the list
Yearly Toxics Release Inventory reporting began in 1987 after the enactment of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (1996). The inventory provides information to the public on Yearly toxic chemical delivers reported by certain industrial and federal facilities. The TRI does not include data on toxic emissions from cars and trucks, nor from the majority of non-industrial sources, such as agriculture. In 2000, TRI expanded to include persistent bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals, or PBTs, at ranges from 0.1 grams to 100 pounds. PBT pollutants are toxic chemicals that remain in the environment and food chain, posing risks to human health and ecosystems.
The top facilities in California for total on-site and off-site delivers of all chemicals (reported in pounds) are:
|
|
Facility Name
|
City
|
Total Delivers
|
|
one
|
Chemical Waste Management Incorporated
|
Kettleman City
|
15,966,454
|
|
two
|
Western Mesquite Mines Incorporated
|
Brawley
|
4,092,180
|
|
three
|
Clean Harbors Buttonwillow LLC
|
Button-Willow
|
1,662,201
|
|
four
|
Valero Refining Co. (California Benicia Refinery)
|
Benicia
|
1,611,849
|
|
five
|
Shell Oil Products US (Martinez Refinery)
|
Martinez
|
883,422
|
|
six
|
Chevron Products Co. Div. of Chevron U.S.A. Incorporated
|
El Segundo
|
862,304
|
|
seven
|
Chevron Products Co. (Richmond Refinery)
|
Richmond
|
808,729
|
|
eight
|
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co.
|
Martinez
|
761,889
|
|
nine
|
Exide Technologies
|
Los Angeles
|
730,496
|
|
ten
|
ConocoPhillips San Francisco Refinery
|
Rodeo
|
711,139
|
TRI Explorer
TRI Explorer is a tool that you can use to see the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data. It allows you to look at data by state, county, or zip code; by chemical; or by industry. It provides maps that you can click on to find TRI facilities, chemicals and industries in a particular area.
National TRI Findings:
§ There was a 6% decrease in total reported Delivers into the environment nationwide from 2007 to 2008
§ The number of facilities reporting chemical Delivers decreased 5% nationally
§ Total PBT chemical Delivers decreased by 2% nation-wide
For more on the TRI plan including additional city, Co. and facility information, please visit the EPA's Web sites:
http://www.epa.gov/tri,
http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer and
http://www.epa.gov/enviro.
State fact sheets are accessible at:
http://www.epa.gov/region09/toxic/tri/ and
http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/statefactsheet.htm.
For more information on the PBT Chemicals Program, please visit the EPA's Web location at
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pbt
