EPA is proposing to add 16 chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals, the first expansion of the program in more than ten years.

The TRI is a publicly available database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries and federal facilities. The database currently has information from 22,000 industrial facilities on nearly 650 chemicals and chemical groups.

EPA has concluded, based on a review of available studies, that the proposed chemicals could cause cancer in humans. The proposal is part of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s ongoing efforts to provide communities with more information about chemicals and releases in their area, as well as to provide the government with information for research and potential development of regulations.

Four of the proposed, additional chemicals fall into the category of polycyclic aromatic compounds. This category includes chemicals that are likely to remain in the environment for a very long time, and because the chemicals are not readily destroyed such chemicals may build up in body tissue, as well.

For more information, please contact Phillip Hoover or a member of the Sustainability Practice Group. Additional information is also available at EPA’s website here.