Congress' passage of Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), was the culmination of a series of social and political events that focused attention on the potential for chemical accidents and their impact on human health and the environment. Since World War II, the United States has experienced an incredible proliferation of new and diverse industries. Related to this growth is the development and use of new chemicals. Historically, chemical use has preceded knowledge of the impacts of chemicals on human health, the environment, and communities. During the 1970's and 1980's, a series of environmental laws created programs to address pollution released into the environment such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Regulations began to address the most obvious (i.e., visible) problems, such as water pollution, and steadily moved toward the less obvious effects of chemical usage (e.g., slow-acting carcinogens). As pollution control and cleanup programs were put in place, the focus began to shift toward other chemical use issues. The public began to question the safety of operations and materials at industrial facilities. This slow shift in public attention was galvanized by two industrial accidents involving chemicals, one in India and another in West Virginia. These events, together with a growing body of knowledge about chemical use and risks, spurred Congress to enact, and EPA to implement, SARA Title III. This module provides a brief introduction to the history and underlying concepts of the SARA Title III program.