Toxics release inventory growing more contentious

The Environmental Protection Agency last month released industry estimates of emissions of more than 300 toxic chemicals into the environment. With total emissions volume down 11% in 1989 from 1988, the data do show some success in efforts to reduce emissions. At the same time, efforts are under way to expand both the uses of and the number of chemicals on the Toxic Releases Inventory (TRI). Publication of the TRI has become an occasion for the chemical industry to point out how well it is doing in reducing environmental contamination—and for environmental activists to bemoan how seriously the environment continues to be contaminated. For the 1989 inventory, any company that produced more than 25,000 lb or used more than 10,000 lb of a listed chemical had to file a report with EPA. Last year, 22,686 facilities filed TRI reports, a 15% increase from the year before. EPA says that companies filed more than 82,000 ...