| Abstract |
The 1987 Toxics Release Inventory was mandated by the 'Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act' enacted by Congress in October of 1986. The law, also known as Title III of the Superfund Amendments, is based on the premise that citizens have a 'right-to-know' about toxic chemicals in their communities, and has two main purposes: to encourage planning for response to chemical accidents; and to provide the public and the government information about possible chemical hazards in their communities. The law requires States to establish State Emergency Response Commissions and Local Emergency Planning Committees to collect detailed information of local manufacturers. The law further requires certain manufacturers to report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to States the amounts of over 300 toxic chemicals that they release directly to air, water, or land, or that they transport to off-site facilities. In addition, the law specifies that the EPA must compile these reports into an annual inventory of releases and transfers, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), and make the inventory available to the public in a computerized database. The report summarizes release and transfer data for 1987, the first year of data collection under TRI. |
