Improving the U.S. EPA toxic release inventory database for environmental health research

In 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) in response to the tragic death of thousands of people in Bhopal, India, following the accidental release of the toxic gas methyl isocyanate (MIC) from a Union Carbide facility. As a component of EPCRA, certain manufacturers are required to report annually the total mass (pounds per year, lb/yr) of toxic chemicals released into the environment (air, water, land, or underground injection), treated on-site, or shipped off-site for further waste treatment. This information is compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into a publicly accessible database known as the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI database is designed to encourage pollution prevention and waste reduction by increasing public access to and knowledge of environmental chemical releases. EPCRA has been generally considered by industry, government, and community representatives as one of the most successful environmental laws in U.S. history. Over the past few years, EPA has initiated a three-phased expansion to EPCRA reporting requirements that will enhance the overall usefulness of the TRI database. The focus of this article is to discuss these changes and highlight several current uses of the TRI database in environmental health research.