Using the TRI Explorer
Created By: Group 1
What is the TRI Explorer?
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Database generated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Contains detailed information on approximately 650 chemicals and chemical
categories
Data obtained from industries including manufacturing, metal and coal mining, electric
utilities, commercial hazardous waste treatment, and other industrial sectors.
An interactive site that allows you to create a variety of reports:
– Chemical Reports
– Facility Reports
– Federal Facility Reports
– Trend Reports
– Geography Reports
– Industry Reports
– Dynamic Maps
Source: Environmental Risk Assessment - Approaches, Experiences
and Information Sources, 1999
TRI Explorer Home Page
This will demonstrate how to create
a Chemical report.
Setting Up the Report
Under Geographic Location, choose
Select a state or a county.
Select Ohio but don’t click
the Select from List of
Counties button just yet.
Setting Up the Report (cont’d)
Select the type of chemicals
you want to view. In this case,
we are choosing Select a
chemical group (e.g. HAPs).
HAP stands for Hazardous Air
Pollutants.
Select the Chemical Released.
This example will demonstrate
Hazardous air pollutants.
Setting Up the Report (cont’d)
Under Industry, choose Select from
list of SIC Codes(s).
Setting Up the Report (cont’d)
Select the industries for which you would like
to generate reports. In this example,
Chemicals and Petroleum are the two
industries selected.
Setting Up the Report (cont’d)
Now you can Select from a List of
Counties. Why did we wait? If you
do it too soon, you lose your
selection when you choose
chemicals released and industry.
You can select the
Year of Data; this
example will use
2006.
Setting Up the Report
Choose the county of your
choice. In this example, Allen
is selected.
These are the final
selections. Click
Generate Report.
Releases: Chemical Report
TRI On-site and Off-site Reported Disposed of or Otherwise Released (in pounds), for facilities in
Petroleum (324), for Newly added 1995 Chemicals Allen County, Ohio, 2006
The disposal categories in the report are found above the data.
Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d)
As examples, these
categories show where
the pollutants were
released.
Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d)
Click on any of the
release sites to get a
definition of the term.
Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d)
The up/down triangles sort that
column. The default is alphabetical
by chemical name, but you can sort
by amount released in any of the
columns.
Releases: Chemical Report (cont’d)
You can download all of the data generated
in this report to a spreadsheet.
See the Note field at the
bottom of the report for
definitions.
Other Report Types
Changing the type of report will
also change some of the variables
(geographic location, chemical
released, industry, etc.) from which
you can choose. However, it is the
same basic process to create the
reports. You may have to play with
the TRI Explorer some to get
exactly what you need.
Other Report Types
Another feature is the ability to create a
map. While different from TOXMAP, you
can use it in combination with TOXMAP to
create a very powerful statement!
TRI Dynamic Maps
Just as with the reports, select
the variables you want. In this
example, the generated map will
show releases of your selected
chemical in the United States for
All Industries.
TRI Dynamic Maps (cont’d)
Select the chemical desired
(tetrachloroethane was selected).
Tetrachloroethane in the U.S.
To change the
percentages that
show on the
slider, just move
the < > on the
slider above.
To get a closer
look at Ohio,
simply click in the
state.
Understanding The Terms
• The following terms are often used when evaluating the
potential risks associated with a geographical area.
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Hazard
• Something with the potential to cause harm; however, it does not always put you at risk;
"a property or situation that in particular circumstances could lead to harm."
(EEA, 1999).
Risk
• The potential for disaster; "the combination of the probability, or frequency, of
occurrence of a defined hazard and the magnitude of the consequences of the
occurrence." (EEA, 1999)
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Risk assessment
• "A systematic approach for characterizing the nature and magnitude of an
occurrence of a hazard." (enHealth, 2002)
Source: Environmental Risk Assessment - Approaches, Experiences and
Information Sources, 1999
Would You Like To Know The
Health Risks in Marietta, Ohio?
• When conducting an environmental risk assessment of a region, the
following steps are considered:
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Hazard Identification: You will want to identify the potential health hazards in your
neighborhood. The following tools will help you in determining the possible health hazards
emitted by industries and businesses in your town.
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EPA’s Enviromapper (http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/index.html) - provides a set of web-based
interactive mapping tools for viewing and querying environmental information.
EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory Explorer (http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/) – a database containing
information on specific toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported by the
industry
TOXMAP – a mapping tool that enables the user to see the releases of toxic chemicals in their
neighborhood.
Using EPA’s Enviromapper Tool
(Marietta, Ohio)
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To locate facilities that produce potential environmental hazards in Marietta, Ohio
(such as harmful air emission, toxic releases, Superfund sites, etc.), you can use
EPA's Enviromapper Tool: Envirofacts.
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Go to: (http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/index.html)
– Enter your Zip code, select What to Map, and hit GO.
– Click on the Advanced Options link and follow the three steps:
• Step 1: select EPA regulated facilities,
• Step 2: choose the location information; I selected Zip Code. You can also
choose State, County, City, Watershed, Zip Code, or EPA region. You may
also choose to enter latitude/longitude coordinates rather than a
geographical locale.
• Step 3: SUBMIT!
– Select the mapping program and begin on the specific mapping page.
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After locating a map of Marietta, Ohio, here is what you will see:
The Map
Features allow
you to identify
your choices.
EPA’s Enviromapper Tool Results
• There are more than 50 hazardous waste handlers in and around
Marietta, Ohio - meaning that the facility handles some type of
hazardous waste).
• There are at least 50 sources of air emissions - meaning that the
facility releases some kind of potential air pollutant.
• There are many facilities with Water Discharge Permits - meaning
that a facility holds a permit to release waste water into rivers and
tributaries.
• There are at least 50 multiple-activity facilities - meaning that the
facilities hold more than one permit and/or release more than one
kind of potentially hazardous material.
Using TOXMAP
– TOXMAP is a mapping tool that shows the amount and location of toxic
chemicals released into the environment.
– In order to find more information about the chemicals released by those sites
using TOXMAP.
• Go to:(http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/)
• The center map displays your selected location and facilities/chemcial
releases. You can zoom in or zoom out using the buttons and scale on the
right side of the map.
• To identify facility/release site names, click on the Identify facilities on
this map link. To see additional information about the facilities (i.e. address,
chemicals, release amounts, etc.) click on the hotlinked facility name.
• In the upper left hand box marked Chemical Reference Info you will find
links to the Hazardous Substances Data Bank and Agency for Toxic
Substance and Disease Registry, both searchable databases with
additional information on chemicals and toxins.
Using TOXMAP (Marietta, Ohio)
Water Quality
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What is the water quality in Marietta, Ohio? To find out about the water
quality in this neighborhood you would use EPA’s Surf Your Watershed
– Go to: (http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm)
– You can locate Marietta, Ohio by using the Locate By State option. Simply click
on the state to locate your watershed.
– You can Find Your Watershed by entering a city, county, river, watershed name,
community water system ID# into the search engine.
– You can also Enter Your Geographic information (city and state)
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The data obtained by these reports will help you in determining the “health”
of the watershed in your area. Information such as impaired waters and the
total maximum daily loads (TMDL) of the various types of pollutants in the
watershed can be found.
Using EPA’s Surf Your Watershed
(Marietta, Ohio)
Marietta, Ohio is
located in one
watershed.
EPA’s Surf Your Watershed
(Marietta, Ohio)
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Marietta is located in one watershed; Muskingum Watershed. The Clean Water Act requires
states to develop lists of impaired waters. These are waters that are too polluted or otherwise
degraded to meet the water quality standards.The law requires that these jurisdictions
establish priority rankings for waters on the lists and develop TMDLs for these waters. A Total
Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a
waterbody can receive and still safely meet water quality standards.
I would like to find out if streams, rivers or lakes in Marietta, Ohio are impaired. In these reports
are information regarding impaired waters, total maximum daily loads (TMDL) of different
pollutants, as well as a TMDL document search and lawsuit document search.
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The report indicates that there are 24 causes of
impairments reported.
Impairments range from siltation to chemical
impairments.
There are 7 approved TMDLs.
EPA’s TRI Explorer
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Before you start, choose a report (chemical, facility, trends, geography, industry) or the dynamic
map function from the hotlinks on the left hand side of the screen
To choose a report:
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Select a geographic location, chemical released, industry and year of data from the pull down menus.
You do not need to select an item from each pull down menu, data will be displayed if you select only one.
Select the report columns you would like to display by clicking the check boxes next to the appropriate
data.
Click the generate report button to display a tabulated report.
To choose the dynamic map:
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Select a geographic location, chemical released, industry and year of data from the pull down menus.
You do not need to select an item from each pull down menu, data will be displayed if you select only one.
Select the release you would like to display on your map by clicking the bullet next to the appropriate data.
Click the map it! button to display a tabulated report.
Once you have arrived at your map, you will find detailed instructions by following the link at the top of the
page.
TRI Explorer Results
1.
TRI Explorer indicates that there has been numerous toxic releases reported
in or around Marietta, Ohio for 2006.(This represents a portion of the entire
report.)
TRI Explorer Dynamic Map
Washington County
which includes
Marietta, Ohio
represents one of the
top 4% of counties in
Ohio releasing a total of
21,366,620 pounds of
pollutants into the
environment.
CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System
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The CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a mapping tool that illustrates health risks at
national, state, and local levels. In other words, are there any unusual health problems in my
neighborhood?
Go to (http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/)
From the BRFSS front page select BRFSS maps you will be prompted to Select a Year and a Data
Category you would like to display on your map (i.e. asthma, nutrition, women's health, etc.).
Select your data and hit the GO button.
You will be taken to a screen with several questions and responses. Choose the Question/response
information you would like to display on your map by clicking the highlighted response.
The info button will
provide statistical info
for the state or MSA
of interest.
Map key
1.
Click on the Info icon
2.
Click on the state or
MSA of interest
Results of the BRFSS Search for Ohio
(Effect on Human Health)
1.
BRFSS Maps answers some of the questions someone might have regarding how air quality might contribute to the
number of people with asthma and the overall health status of Ohioans. The results are:
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8.9% of Ohioans have been told they have asthma.
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Only 15.8% of Ohioans report poor health.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Cancer Mortality Maps
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What are the incidences of cancer in Ohio? The Atlas of Cancer Mortality in the
U.S., provides a variety of data in the form of maps, text, tables and figures showing
geographical patterns and time trends of cancer death rates from time periods 195069 and 1970-94 for more than 40 cancers.
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Go to http://www3.cancer.gov/atlasplus/type.html
Select All Cancers or one of the many specific cancer types
Select Customized Mortality Maps
Select race/gender
Select state
Select the age range
Select time period
NCI Cancer Mortality Map for
Washington County, Ohio
1. Select the type of
cancer you are
searching for in the
bullet panel.
2. Select the county of
interest by placing
the cursor on the
desired county.
Ohio has an above average cancer mortality rate (as compared to the rest of
the nation).
Analysis of The Data
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To analyze the data found from the various environmental tools available, I proceed
to a website called Scorecard. This website is a search tool that provides an in-depth
pollution report for your specific county. Information such as toxics released into the
environment, water and air quality, and local polluters in your area are provided.
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Go to http://www.scorecard.org/index.tcl
Provide your zip code (for Marietta, Ohio) and click GET REPORT
Toxics Released in Washington
County, Ohio
Select the
desired
information
available.
Toxics Released in Washington
County, Ohio (the results!)
In 2002, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all
counties in the U.S. in terms of total environmental releases!
Air Quality in Washington County,
Ohio
To obtain specific information such as obtaining a list of top
polluters or how this county compares with others in the U.S.,
simply click on the appropriate data.
*In 2003, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10%
of all counties in the U.S. in terms of air quality index.
Water Quality in Washington
County, Ohio (the results!)
Click on See how your county’s water quality stacks up to obtain the
information available.
Results: Washington County ranks above the national average in terms of
dirtiest/worst cities in the US for number of waters impaired.