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EPA Analysis Shows Decrease in 2012 Toxic Chemical Releases in New Hampshire

 

EPA Analysis Shows Decrease in 2012 Toxic Chemical Releases in New Hampshire

Release Date: 02/10/2014 Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Feb. 10, 2014) – EPA’s most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data is now available for the reporting year of 2012. In New Hampshire, the reporting data show that overall releases of pollutants to the environment have decreased since the previous reporting year (2011).

TRI information is a key part of EPA’s efforts to provide greater access to environmental information and get information to the public as quickly as possible. TRI reporting provides Americans with vital information about their communities by publishing information on toxic chemical disposals and releases into the air, land and water, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities in neighborhoods across the country.

“People deserve to know what toxic chemicals are being used and released in their backyards, and what companies are doing to prevent pollution,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “By making that information easily accessible through online tools, maps, and reports, TRI is helping protect our health and the environment.”

This was the first year for the reporting of Hydrogen Sulfide. One New Hampshire facility reported 36,153 pounds of total on- and off-site disposal or other releases of hydrogen sulfide for 2012.

During 2012, the latest year for which data are available, approximately 19.2 million pounds of chemicals were released in the six New England states, a reduction of about 501,393 pounds (decreased by 2.55%). In New Hampshire, 131 facilities reported in 2012 approximately 822,371 pounds (a decrease of 1,368,406 pounds (decreased 62.5%)). Approximately 70.6 percent of releases in New Hampshire were emitted to the air during 2012. Approximately 12.3 percent of releases in New Hampshire were released to the land during 2012.

“EPA believes in making accessible, meaningful information available so citizens can be informed about chemicals that may be found in our communities and neighborhoods,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “TRI data is fundamental to helping people protect the health of their families and themselves, and provides communities with valuable information on toxic chemical releases.”

Each year, EPA makes publicly available TRI data reported by industries throughout the United States regarding chemical releases to air, water and land by power plants, manufacturers and other facilities which employ ten or more workers and exceed thresholds for chemicals. Reporting includes information on chemicals released at a company's facility, as well as those transported to disposal facilities off site. TRI data do not reflect the relative toxicity of the chemicals emitted or potential exposure to people living in a community with reported releases. Facilities must report their chemical disposals and releases by July 1 of each year. EPA made the 2012 preliminary TRI dataset available on Oct. 31, 2012.

Reporting under TRI does not indicate illegal discharges of pollutants to the environment. EPA works closely with states to provide regulatory oversight of facilities that generate pollution to the nation’s air, land and water. Effective review and permitting programs work to ensure that the public and the environment are not subjected to unhealthful levels of pollution, even as agencies work to further reduce emissions of chemicals to the environment. Enforcement efforts by EPA and states ensure that facilities that violate their environmental permits are subject to penalties and corrective action. Yearly releases by individual facilities can vary due to factors such as power outages, production variability, lulls in the business cycle, etc., that do not reflect a facility's pollution prevention program(s).

The top ten chemicals released to the environment on- and off-site during 2012 in New Hampshire were:

2012 Rank 2012 Chemical Total on-and off-site disposal or other releases 2011 Rank
1 Sulfuric acid (1994 and after acid aerosols only) 205,007 2
2 ACETOPHENONE 161,906 4
3 Ammonia 117,389 3
4 Hydrochloric acid (1995 and after acid aerosols only) 90,485 1
5 Hydrogen Sulfide 36,153 *
6 Toluene 31,845 5
7 Zinc compounds 31,351 7
8 Styrene 23,589 8
9 Lead 17,659 9
10 XYLENE (MIXED ISOMERS) 16,310 24
The ten facilities that reported the largest quantity of on- and off-site environmental releases in New Hampshire under TRI for 2012 were:

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