The EPA's TRI (Toxics Release Inventory) is a public database of annual information on industrial chemical release and waste management, reported by facilities that meet the TRI criteria.

Read more about TRI at epa.gov

If a facility meets all three of the following criteria, it must report its release and management information to the TRI Program

1. Is in a TRI-Covered Industry
2. Has 10 or more employees
3. Manufactures or works with more than 25,000 lbs. of one of 650+ TRI-Listed Chemicals (threshold may vary based on chemical or activity)

*More than 20,000 U.S. facilities report to the EPA annually

The main purpose of TRI is to increase public awareness of toxic chemicals and thus encourage facilities to reduce their toxic emissions. Government, NGOs, companies, and communities use TRI data to make important decisions such as developing environmental policies or investing in environmentally responsible firms. TRI data is also used to measure overall pollution trends in the United States, as well as to advocate environmental justice for communities disproportionately affected by environmental hazards.

In the early 1980s, chemical accidents in India and West Virginia killed thousands of people. In response, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) in 1986, which established the TRI program requiring certain facilities to annually report their releases of toxic chemicals.