EPA Adds Additional PFAS to the Toxics Release Inventory

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the automatic addition of a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) to the list of chemicals covered by the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Sodium perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS-Na) (CASRN 82382-12-5) was added to the TRI list pursuant to the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This addition is due to EPA finalizing a toxicity value in 2025 entitled “IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid (PFHxS, CASRN 335-46-4) and Related Salts.” The TRI chemical list already includes PFHxS and some of the salts identified in the assessment; however, PFHxS-Na, which is also identified in the assessment, was not on the TRI list. Accordingly, per the framework for automatic additions of PFAS that the 2020 NDAA provides, the publication of this assessment adds PFHxS-Na to the TRI list with an effective date of January 1, 2026, bringing the total number of PFAS subject to TRI reporting to 206.  

TRI data are reported to EPA annually by facilities in designated industry sectors that manufacture, process or otherwise use TRI-listed chemicals above set quantities. The data collected are available online and include quantities of such chemicals released into the environment or otherwise managed as waste.  

The addition of PFHxS-Na to the TRI supports Pillar 3 of EPA Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership, by informing decision-making about chemical management by companies and government agencies. Information collected through TRI also allow communities, non-governmental organizations and the public to understand how facilities in their area manage TRI-listed chemicals.  

As of January 1, 2026, facilities subject to reporting requirements for PFHxS-Na should begin tracking their activities involving the chemical as required by section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Reporting forms are due by July 1, 2027, and EPA plans to release the preliminary 2026 TRI dataset later that month. Information for the reporting community is available on the Reporting for TRI Facilities webpage.  

Learn more about the addition of PFAS to the Toxics Release Inventory.