The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), published annually by the U.S. EPA, is a valuable source of information about over 300 toxic chemicals that are being used, manufactured, treated, transported, or released into the environment. Using this information, citizens, businesses, and governments can work together to protect the quality of their land, air and water. The new software used in the 1987-1996 TRI CD-ROM, is flexible and powerful, capable of searching over 200 fields (e.g., by chemical, company, kind of release, or zip code, and across multiple years of data). The CD-ROM also allows users to conduct multiple and complex queries, which are especially useful to those who wish to analyze trends or perform statistical analysis. The following information is found on the TRI CD:facility name, location and type of business. off-site locations to which the facility transfers toxic chemicals in waste. whether the chemical is manufactured (including importation), processed, or otherwise used and the general categories of use of the chemical. an estimate (in ranges) of the maximum amounts of the toxic chemical present at the facility at any time during the preceding year. quantity of the chemical entering each medium - air, land, and water - annually. waste treatment/disposal methods and efficiency of methods for each waste stream. optional information on waste minimization.In additon the TRI data, the CD-ROM provides a wealth of other TRI information, such as: tutorial , Annual TRI Data Release Book, State Fact Sheets, TRI's reporting Forms R and A and Chemical Fact Sheets on many of the TRI chemicals. The 1987-1996 TRI CD-ROM is a user-friendly Windows application that includes LANDVIEW III, a geographic information systems (GIS) package. The GIS package allows the user to locate TRI facilities and other EPA sites in relation to roads, rivers, schools, hospitals and more. In addition, census information is included to display demographic information such as population by income, race, density, and more. How TRI Is Used TRI is used by EPA as a baseline for measuring improvements in companies across the nation. The TRI is a rich source of data for a broad-based audience that includes manufacturers, environmental consulting firms, trade associations, groups, health professionals, state and local environmental agencies, Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), and federal agencies.