What is the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and when was dioxin added to the TRI?
Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires certain manufacturing facilities in many industries to report emissions to air, water, and land for about 600 chemical substances. The EPA compiles the data in its annual Toxics Release Inventory. The TRI was created in 1986 as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Environment Canada has a very similar requirement known as the National Pollutants Release Inventory. Because dioxins are released in small amounts, they had not previously been reported under the TRI, which ordinarily requires reporting of emissions of 10,000 pounds or greater. EPA began requiring reporting of certain persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances such as lead, mercury and dioxin at much lower amounts. Both EPA and Environment Canada included dioxin in their respective TRI and NPRI reporting for the first time in 2001. As a result, companies report their dioxin releases or emissions each year to Environment Canada on J
