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5,572 lbs of toxic chemicals released in NMI
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Posted on Jun 25 2004
Some 5,572 pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the air, land and water in the CNMI in 2002, but the volume is lower compared to releases in most states and territories throughout the U.S.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the information came from its Toxics Release Inventory, which ranked the CNMI as the 56th in the nation in terms of total releases.
Dean Higuchi of the EPA’s Hawaii office explained that the TRI data reflect numbers submitted to the EPA by businesses and industries. The inventory is an annual measure of toxic chemical releases, transfers and wastes generated by facilities in the U.S.
Higuchi said that facilities with elevated toxic release levels are not necessarily out of compliance with local and federal regulations.
“TRI continues to be a useful tool for states, counties and communities to know what types and amounts of chemicals are present in their neighborhoods,” a media release quoted EPA Region 9 administrator Wayne Nastri as saying.
Higuchi said the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act requires data reporting to encourage facilities to reduce toxic chemical releases to environment.
The EPA’s TRI program measures releases of about 650 toxic chemicals. Higuchi said manufacturers began reporting releases in 1987, while federal facilities followed suit beginning 1994.
Seven industries began reporting release data to the EPA beginning 1998. Higuchi said these industries include electricity generation, commercial hazardous waste treatment, petroleum bulk terminals, wholesale chemical distributors, metal and coal mining, and solvent recovery.
