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Toxics Release Inventory: Do Communities Have a Right to Know More?
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In 1986, Congress directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a national inventory of toxic releases to the environment by manufacturing facilities and to use the inventory to inform the public about chemicals used and released in their communities. Since enactment of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) more than 10 years ago, manufacturers have been required to report releases of hundreds of hazardous chemicals annually. EPA compiles the reported information into the Toxics Release Inventory (TM) and distributes it in various written and electronic forms.