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A NEW TOOL EXPANDS THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT-TO-KNOW ABOUT POLLUTION IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Release Date: 07/15/99
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1999
A NEW TOOL EXPANDS THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT-TO-KNOW ABOUT POLLUTION IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Today EPA is releasing a new tool for comparing information about pollution in local communities. This new tool entitled, “Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators,” is available on CD-ROM and is a part of the agency’s public right-to-know efforts. It uses national data on toxic chemical emissions from EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory. Specifically, the new tool can be used to compare relative risk from toxic chemicals grouped by categories like cities, states, and industrial facilities, based on factors like pounds of pollutants released, relative toxicity, population and exposure data. It is critical to note that these relative-risk rankings can only be used for comparisons. For example, the rankings now allow one industrial facility to be compared to another, but are not intended for quantifying actual risks posed to public health from any single facility, geographical area or other category. Such comparisons are meant to be helpful only for identifying and prioritizing areas for further research and attention. A more detailed description of the tool, the user manual, frequently asked questions, and contact information is available at: https://www.epa.gov/opptintr/env_ind/index.html. More information on the Toxic Release Inventory is available at: https://www.epa.gov/tri/
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