Toxic Chemical Report

Sixteenth Annual Toxic Chemical Report

A summary of information contained in the Toxic Chemical Report Forms for calendar year 2002

Problems viewing Acrobat PDF files? Download the Full Report (Acrobat PDF, 19 pages, 232K)

Executive Summary

Under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), affected companies must report “on- and off-site disposal or other releases” to the environment of more than 650 toxic chemicals. The 16th Annual Toxic Chemical Report documents reported releases of toxic chemicals in Illinois for calendar year 2002, the most recent data available.

In 2002, 1,285 facilities in Illinois reported toxic chemical releases of 133,180,128 pounds, which is the 12th largest amount among states. The most common type of release was air emissions, accounting for approximately 42 percent of reported releases. The top five Illinois counties for reported toxic releases were: 1. Peoria 2. Cook 3. Madison 4. Montgomery 5. Macon.

Total releases in 2002 increased slightly from 131,841,117 pounds reported for 2001. However, there have been substantial reductions in Illinois and nationally since reporting began in 1988. Although it is difficult to compare annual data because of changes to the reporting requirements over the years, the downward trend in releases is apparent. For example, using a 1988 baseline, which only includes the chemicals and industries that were subject to reporting in 1988, releases in Illinois have declined from nearly 140 million pounds in 1988 to about 50 million pounds in 2002. This is a 64 percent decrease.

Using a 1998 baseline, which includes chemicals and industries added to the reporting requirements from 1988 through 1998, releases declined from approximately 165 million pounds in 1998 to 130 million pounds annually in 2002. This amounts to a 21 percent decrease.

In assessing this data, it is important to understand what counts as a “release” under EPCRA. For example, toxic chemicals that are treated in certain ways, recycled, or used to make energy are not counted as released to the environment.

It is also important to understand the limitations of this data. For example, although EPCRA captures most of the toxic chemicals currently being used by covered industry sectors, it does not cover all chemicals or all sectors. For example, facilities that do not meet the reporting threshold levels are not required to report, and the toxic release data does not include emissions from mobile sources nor releases of pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and fertilizers from many other non-industrial sources.

In addition, release estimates alone are not sufficient to determine human exposure or to calculate potential adverse effects on human health and the environment. Additional information is necessary to assess exposure and risk, although toxic release data can be used to identify areas of potential concern.