This year's National Report is the third annual analysis of the releases of some 320 chemicals and compounds to air, water, and land from selected manufacturing facilities. The data collected under the authority of Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) have been used by industry, public interest groups, state and local governments, the U.S. Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to target major opportunities for reducing risks to public health and the environment. The Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) is a unique resource. It was envisioned from the outset to make data publicly available so that knowledge could be a catalyst for pollution prevention activities at the community, state, and federal levels. Pollution prevention avoids the creation of waste and is a different focus from pollution control, which concentrates on managing and disposing of waste. More and more states are implementing pollution prevention or toxic use reduction laws using TRI as the framework for their environmental accounting. Later chapters of this Report describe in more detail a variety of the activities that TRI has stimulated to prevent pollution.

"September 1991." "EPA 560/4-91-014"--Cover. "TS-779"--Cover.