Releases of Chemicals
What is a release?
In the context of TRI, a “release” of a chemical generally refers to a chemical that is emitted to the air, discharged to water, or disposed of in some type of land disposal unit. Most TRI releases happen during routine production operations at facilities. To learn more about what EPA is doing to help limit the release of toxic chemicals into the environment, see the EPA laws and regulations webpage.
ReleasesAny spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into the environment (including the abandonment or discarding of barrels, containers, and other closed receptacles) of any toxic chemical. [42 U.S.C. §11049 (8)] [40 CFR § 372.3] or disposalAny underground injection, placement in landfills/surface impoundments, land treatment, or other intentional land disposal. [40 CFR § 372.3] of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemicals into the environment occurs in several ways. Facilities may release chemical waste directly into the air or water or dispose of it to land. Some facilities also transfer waste that contains TRI chemicals to off-site locations for disposal. Facilities releasing or disposing of TRI chemical waste must comply with a variety of regulatory requirements and restrictions that are designed to help protect human health and the environment.
Facilities must report the quantities of TRI-listed chemicals they release into the environment. Analyzing these release data along with data from other sources helps to:
- Identify potential concerns in communities.
- Better understand health impacts chemical releases may pose.
- Identify opportunities to engage with facilities or provide technical assistance on implementing pollution prevention techniques.
It is important to understand that the quantity of chemical releases alone is not necessarily an indicator of human health outcomes or environmental impacts. Other important factors that contribute to potential harm and risks from releases of chemicals are discussed in the Potential Risks from TRI Chemicals section.
Use the chart below to explore the 2022 TRI chemical releases by industry sector, chemical, or state/territory. Visit the full TRI National Analysis data visualization dashboard to explore even more information about releases of TRI chemicals.
- Facilities released 3.3 billion pounds of TRI chemicals, a 21% decrease since 2013.
- Air releases decreased 26% in the last 10 years, driven by reductions from electric utilities.
As with any dataset, there are many factors to consider when using TRI data. Find a summary of key factors associated with the data used in the National Analysis in the Introduction. For more information see Factors to Consider When Using Toxics Release Inventory Data.
This page was published in March 2024 and uses the 2022 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2023.