|
|
TOXIC WASTE RELEASES AND
TRANSFERS, 2001 (in LBS.)
|
|
RELEASES TO:
|
POUNDS
|
TRANSFERS:
|
POUNDS
|
|
Air Emissions
|
102,748,862
|
To Publicly Owned Treatment Works
|
37,128,637
|
|
Surface Water Discharges
|
26,007,896
|
For Treatment
|
56,643,370
|
|
Underground Injection
|
77,648,759
|
For Energy Recycling
|
143,041,520
|
|
Land Treatment
|
29,851,396
|
To Recycling Facilities
|
136,898,041
|
|
Impoundments and Land Disposal (Off-Site Releases)
|
34,278,163
|
Other Transfers
|
41,322
|
|
Total On and Off-Site Releases
|
270,535,075
|
Total Off-Site Transfers
|
373,752,890
|
|
Total Releases and Transfers: 644,287,965
|
|
Note: 1,556 facilities reporting
|
|
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Toxic Release
Inventory Database, Query run on EPA's TRIEXPLORER, September 2003
|
|
Since 1987 by federal law all major manufacturing industries have had to report their releases and transfers of more than 300 individual toxic chemicals and 20 toxic chemical compounds—chemicals that have been
determined to be harmful to humans or the environment. These toxic chemical release data are reported to both the TCEQ and eventually to the EPA. In 1994 an additional 34 chemicals
were added to the reporting list, while in the 1995 reporting year another 282 chemicals and chemical compounds were added, bringing the total to nearly 650. Finally, for the 1998 reporting
year, new industries -- including hazardous waste management facilities, mining operations, petroleum bulk terminals and electric utilities --
were required to report for the first time, while in 2000, the threshold for reporting PBT -- persistent bioaccumative toxics -- was lowered
significantly, and more specifically, the threshold of one category of these PBTs -- dioxins and dioxin-like compounds -- was lowered to 0.1 grams (FOOTNOTE ADDED: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, "Making Year-to-Year Comparisons of TRI Data," Available at http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/yearsum .htm).
According to initial data from the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas facilities in 2001 released 270.5 million
pounds of these toxic chemicals into the air, water, and land—both above and below the ground—while transferring
another 373.8 million pounds to other authorized facilities for wastewater treatment, recycling, energy recovery, treatment, storage, and disposal.
(REPLACE FOOTNOTE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2001 Toxic Release Inventory Database, Query run on EPA's TRIEXPLORER, September 2003)* Texas is the fifth largest
volume producer of toxic chemical releases and the first volume producers of off-site transfers in the country when all
industries are included, trailing states with heavy concentrations of mining activity like Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Alaska
(REPLACE FOOTNOTE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2001 Toxic Release Inventory Database, Query run on EPA's TRIEXPLORER, September 2003)
. When looking at only the core manufacturing industries and not including electric utilities or mining operations, Texas led the nation in toxic transfers and releases.
Not surprisingly, Texas is also the second largest state in terms of population and has the largest concentration of chemical products and petroleum refining industries.
In terms of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, the highly persistent and toxic compounds which have been linked both
to cancer and fetal development problems, Texas trailed only Delaware in total releases, and trailed only Utah in total
transfers of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. It is important to note that virtually all the dioxins released or transfered
in Texas are by a handful of chemical facilities along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Taking into account only a common set of chemicals and a common set of industries having to report between 1991
and 2001, Texas showed a 47.7 percent reduction in overall on and off-site releases, but an increase of 27.4 percent in
total off-site transfers, due to a notable increase in transfers to recycling and treatment facilities (REPLACE
FOOTNOTE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Toxic Release Inventory Database, Query run on EPA's TRIEXPLORER, September 2003).* It appears that Texas facilities have made a substantial investment in reducing
their releases of toxic chemicals to the air, land and waters, some of which has been accomplished by transfering those
same toxics to treatment and recycling facilities. Still, interpreting these numbers is difficult. Each year there are a
different number of facilities reporting. The amount of toxic releases and transfers is affected by the amount of
production and general economic conditions. The amount of reduction as a percentage often depends upon which year
is chosen as a base. For example, Texas manufacturing facilities reported a 47 percent reduction in surface water
discharges between 1988 and 2001, but a 22 percent increase in surface water discharges between 1991 and 2001.
Still, overall, most major chemical and petroleum refining companies have significantly reduced toxic releases over the past 10 years.
|
NET CHANGE IN TOXICS RELEASED AND TREATED FROM MANUFACTURING
FACILITIES (SIC CODE 20-39), 1991 TO 2001
|
|
RELEASE MEDIUM OR TREATMENT METHOD
|
NET CHANGE %
|
|
Total Air
|
-52.9%
|
|
Water Releases
|
21.9%
|
|
Underground Injection
|
-46.0%
|
|
Land Releases
|
-61.7%
|
|
Impoundments/Disposal
|
8.2%
|
|
Total Releases
|
-47.7%
|
|
Publicly Owned Treatment Works
|
0.7%
|
|
Energy Recovery
|
18.7%
|
|
Off-Site Treatment
|
48.5%
|
|
Transfers for Recycling
|
36.0%
|
|
Total Transfers
|
27.4%
|
|
Notes: Numbers represent only totals for toxic chemicals reported in common between
1991 and 2001 by manufacturing facilities (SIC Codes 20-39), not all chemicals reported.
|
|
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Toxic Release Inventory Database, Query run on EPA's
TRIEXPLORER, September 2003.
|
|
|
