Toxic Chemical Report

Fifteenth Annual Toxic Chemical Report

A summary of information contained in the Toxic Chemical Report Forms for calendar year 2001

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Preface

USEPA ranked Illinois as the 13th largest state in the total pounds of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) releases in the nation for reporting year 2000 (reporting ranged from under 8000 pounds to over 1 billion pounds annually) under the USEPA’s 2000 Toxics Release Inventory Report.

In Illinois EPA’s Fifteenth Annual Toxic Chemical Report, for reporting year 2001, the amount of reported releases and transfers of 140.2 million pounds is from the 1,490 reporting facilities (4,576 individual chemical reports). The total figure for 2001 represents 21.9 million pounds (13.5%) less than that reported for 2000. Releases and transfers of 255 different toxic chemicals and chemical categories were reported.

The reports submitted by facilities in the persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) category consisted of 20 chemicals and totaled 3.0 million pounds (2.2% of total reported chemicals). Fugitive and stack air emissions of 54.6 million pounds were down by 13.8 million pounds (20.2%) as compared to 2000. Water releases of 7.9 million pounds and on-site land releases of 22.7 million pounds, however have increased by 16.4% and 18.2%, respectively. Off-site transfers to POTWs of 10.5 million pounds have decreased by 10.7% and other off-site transfers of 44.2 million pounds have increased by 3.3%.

A new section on Waste Management Activities is presented in this report. Over 1746 million pounds of chemicals have been managed through energy recovery, recycling, and treatment.

In this fifteenth report, trend analyses continue to be reported for all media using the last five reporting years. In the past years, as in 2001, there has been a general downward trend of total environmental releases and transfers in Illinois even with the additional reporting requirements. We continue to provide the second year of the special trend analysis from 1992 to 2001 (TRI-10). While the data shows that approximately 57.3 million more pounds of releases and transfers have been reported for certain counties in Illinois over this ten-year period, there has been a 56.7 million pound decrease for others.

Executive Summary

Data collection and analysis of the 2001 data was performed in a different manner than in previous years. USEPA provided improved software and an opportunity for facilities to transmit reporting information electronically, which ultimately made the uploading of data into a combined database more expedient and efficient. Analysis of the 2001 data was done using the combined electronic data. Trends analyses were performed using the historical data collected by USEPA and provided on the internet. Additionally, the Illinois’s EPA’s 2001 data was compared to USEPA’s 2001 data.

For the 2001 TRI report, 1,490 unique facilities have provided toxic chemical release information to the Illinois EPA. Since the reporting program mandated by federal law began in 1987, not including 1987, an average of around 1,424 facilities have reported each year, with the actual number ranging between 1,328 and 1,509. In 1989 and 2001, with the changes in reporting requirements, a reflected increase in reporting facilities occurred.

For calendar year 2001, Form R reports comprised 82% of the total reports and Form A, 18%. Over 4,576 individual toxic chemical release reports were submitted by the facilities, showing a total of 140.2 million pounds of releases and transfers. Over 255 different toxic chemicals or chemical compounds were reported. Zinc compounds had the highest reported release and transfer, at 28.2 million pounds, and was the most reported chemical. Nitrate compounds was second highest at 14.2 million pounds.

Facilities with persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals and chemical categories were required to report for the first time in 2000. A total of 3.0 million pounds of PBTs were reported for 2001. This included twenty chemicals (eighteen above zero) and made up 2.2% of the total reported chemicals. The largest amount of PBT chemicals was lead compounds, classified as a PBT chemical in 2001, at 2.5 million pounds, most of which goes to RCRA landfills.

Facilities in Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code 4953 (Refuse systems (RCRA Subtitle C) exceeded all other industrial categories with reported releases and transfers of 23.7 million pounds, of which 3.4 million pounds goes to off-site transfer. Electric services (4911) were second at 18.5 million pounds.

Peoria County had the highest amount of total reported releases and transfers at 31.8 million pounds (22.8% of the total reported releases and transfers). Twenty-one facilities reported in Peoria County. Cook County was second at 27.5 million pounds (19.6% of the total reported releases and transfers), with 582 reporting facilities

Decatur in Macon County had the largest amount of total releases of combined fugitive and stack emissions at 5.6 million pounds (10.3% of the total reported releases). The total combined air emissions were at 54.6 million pounds (38.9% of the total reported releases). Releases to the water totaled 7.9 million pounds (5.7% of the total reported releases and transfers). Only 75 out of 650 possible toxic chemicals are reported in Illinois. Nitrate compounds made up 7.6 million pounds of the total released to the water.

Releases to RCRA Subtitle C landfills for 22 chemicals from 7 facilities totaled 22.3 million pounds (15.9 % of the total reported releases and transfers). Zinc compounds made up 15.7 million pounds.

Other on-site land releases totaled 22.7 million pounds (16.2% of the total releases and transfers). Only 31 chemicals are reported and zinc compounds made up 15.7 million pounds, followed by manganese compounds at 2.7 million pounds.

Offsite transfers to POTWs show 99 chemicals. A total of 10.5 million pounds (7.5% of total reported releases and transfers) are sent to POTWs. Nitrate compounds made up the most at 5.8 million pounds, followed by ammonia and sulfuric acid at 1.0 million pounds each.

Other types of off-site transfers included 184 chemicals and total 44.2 million pounds (31.6% of total reported releases and transfers). Zinc compounds was the largest amount at 12.0 million pounds, followed by manganese compounds at 4.6 million pounds.

Waste management activities were reported for over 200 chemicals. Over 1746 million pounds of chemicals were managed through energy recovery, recycling and treatment. N-Hexane was the most managed at 689 million pounds and 1.2-dichloroethane second at 378 million pounds. Waste management activities for PBT chemicals totaled 11.2 million pounds.

Two different types of trend analyses were performed in this Fifteenth Annual Toxic Chemical Report. The first trend analysis includes comparison of the last five years to the base year of 1988. In the past years, there has been a general downward trend (except as stated below) of combined environmental releases and transfers in Illinois, even with the additional reporting requirements. This downward trend continues with a 13.5% decrease for the year 2001.

Peoria County had the largest five-year summary of the total reported releases and transfers at 133.1 million pounds, followed by Cook County at 117.2 million pounds.

Cook County had the largest five-year summary of the total number of reporting facilities at 2687, followed by Dupage County at 431. An increase in the number of facilities was evident due to the change in reporting requirements in 1998 and 2001.

Hydrochloric Acid was the largest five-year summary of total air releases (fugitive and stack) at 89.8 million pounds, followed by n-hexane at 44.0 million pounds.

Decatur, in Macon County, experienced the highest five-year summary of total air releases at 37.2 million pounds, followed by Danville, in Vermillion County, at 25.6 million pounds. Nitrate compounds in water had the largest five-year summary and totaled in the 28.7 million pounds, followed by ammonia at 235 thousand pounds. Water releases increased during this study period.

On-site land releases for manganese compounds totaled 32.4 million pounds as the highest five-year summary, followed by zinc compounds at 15.8 million pounds. On-site land releases increased during this study period.

Total transfers to POTW included nitrate compounds, once again, as the largest amount transferred for a five-year summary at 26.7 million pounds, followed by ammonia at 7.4 million pounds.

Other off-site transfers had zinc compounds as the largest amount transferred for a five-year summary at 80.0 million pounds, followed by manganese compounds at 21.9 million pounds.

The second trend analysis is a special trend analysis of a current ten-year cycle that was reported for the first time last year, using the 1991-2000 time frame (TRI-10). We continue to provide this analysis, but have adjusted to the current time frame of 1992 to 2001. While the data shows that approximately a total of 57.3 million more pounds of releases have been reported for 41 counties in Illinois over this ten-year period, there has been a total 56.7 million pounds decrease for 48 other counties. Peoria County experienced the largest increase at 28.4 million pounds and Douglas County had the largest decrease at 23.3 million pounds.

Change In Data Collection And Analysis

In previous years (1988-2000), Illinois EPA maintained the facilities reported TRI data in a computer mainframe system. Although facilities were required to report modifications to their previous year’s report, the data in the mainframe was “frozen” for data analysis. In addition, in order to perform meaningful trend analyses of total toxic chemical releases, including offsite transfers, the Illinois EPA utilized information reported by facilities for toxic chemicals which have been reportable in the same form for each of the years 1988-2000. This approach was called "normalizing". Offsite transfers for recycle or energy recovery, reportable for 1991 and later years were not considered. Previous yearly and trend analysis were performed on this frozen and normalized data.

Data collection for the 2001 data was done in a different manner for this Fifteenth Annual Toxic Chemical Report. In 2001, USEPA made software available to facilities to transmit reporting information electronically via computer discs. Although a similar software package was provided in earlier years, this current version performed better, was user friendly, and more readily available. Although reporting could still occur by paper, over 80 percent of the facilities chose the electronic route. For the next year, USEPA is looking into expanding this to include reporting via the internet.

Due to the resources needed for manual data entry, the Illinois EPA chose to electronically upload the 2001 data, which was ultimately more expedient and efficient. The forms submitted on paper were manually entered. There were time constraints and technical difficulties in combining this data into the mainframe historical database. Data analysis of the 2001 data was performed using the one-year database. Historical data for trends analysis were downloaded from USEPA’s database. The data sets were not “frozen” and reflected current information (as of January 9, 2003) submitted by facilities. Any discrepancies to previous reporting years were corrected in this report. However, the “normalization” approach mentioned above could not be performed. In addition, there are some minor differences in the way the data is analyzed this for this Fifteenth Annual Toxic Chemical Report.

Current And Past Year(s) Highlights

Table 1 shows the total release and transfer for each media from the 1999 and 2000 report and Table 2 show the differences between year 2000 and the current year’s 2001 report. The historical data have been updated to reflect current information. The tables show the total pounds and the percent changes for each media.

Figures 1 and 2 show the total releases and transfers for each media using the data above.

Figure 1

Figure 2