Economy, Better Management Cited for Fewer Toxic Emissions in US

Published December 17, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC — The amount of toxic chemicals released to the environment fell 12 percent last year compared to 2008, according to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The 3.37 billion pounds of toxic chemicals released in 2009 represents of 40 percent drop compared to 2001, the EPA said in its analysis of the 2009 Toxic Release Inventory unveiled Thursday. This includes roughly 650 chemicals used in more than 20,000 facilities, including lead, mercury, dioxins and carcinogens.

The EPA offered several explanations for the recent decline in amount of toxic chemicals sent for disposal, injected underground, or released to the air, land and water: lower industrial production, less chemical use, better management practices, such as recycling and treatment, and a change in the composition of raw materials.

Another potential reason is that there are simply fewer facilities reporting to the TRI. Some 7 percent fewer facilities reported to the TRI in 2009, which the EPA said continues a recent trend. The agency plans to investigate the development but suspects at least some of the decrease may be chalked up to the recession.

Lead accounts for the lion's share of toxic chemical releases and disposals and fell 18 percent in 2009, compared to the year before. Disposals and releases of another prominent chemical -- mercury -- declined 3 percent last year. Releases and disposals of dioxins, which are carcinogenic and believed to cause cancer, also dropped 18 percent in 2009.

The TRI was created in the wake of several high-profile and deadly industrial chemical accidents. Twenty-six years ago, a Union Carbide pesticide factory in India leaked some 40 tons of poisonous gas and killed thousands in what has been called the worst industrial accident in history. In 1986, Congress passed a law that led to the establishment of the TRI after another Union Carbide accident took place in West Virginia that resulted in more than 100 injuries, but no deaths, according to the NGO OMB Watch.

This year saw the largest expansion in the TRI program in a decade with the inclusion of 16 additional chemicals that were added to the list of reportable chemicals. The EPA also included in its analysis for the first time highlights of TRI data broken down for the nation's largest metropolitan statistical areas, large aquatic ecosystems, and Indian tribal and Alaskan village areas.

Image CC licensed by Flickr user grifray.

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Economy, Better Management Cited for Fewer Toxic Emissions in US

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