Glossary / Regulations
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)
The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a US program, created under EPCRA section 313, that requires certain facilities to report each year how much of listed toxic chemicals they release to the environment or manage as waste. The report is filed on Form R, due July 1.
Explanation
TRI is a public database run by the EPA. It exists so that communities, workers and regulators can see what chemicals facilities release to air, water and land, and how they otherwise handle those chemicals as waste. It does not measure exposure directly, but it is widely used to track trends and targets.
Whether a facility must report depends on three tests. It must be in a covered industry sector, it must have a minimum number of employees, and it must manufacture, process or otherwise use a listed chemical above an activity threshold. The details change, so check the EPA's current instructions before deciding.
Reporting is annual, covering the previous calendar year. Facilities estimate their releases using monitoring data, mass balance or engineering calculations. They also report on pollution prevention activities, which makes TRI a source for source-reduction efforts.
TRI is easy to confuse with Tier II. Tier II is about what chemicals are stored on site, reported to local emergency planners and fire departments by March 1. TRI is about what leaves the facility as releases or waste, and goes to the EPA and the state. Both come from EPCRA but serve different purposes.
Supplier notification can also matter. Some product SDSs flag the presence of a TRI-listed chemical so that downstream users can include it in their calculations.
What to do and watch for
- Track purchases and use of listed chemicals through the year to avoid a scramble at reporting time.
- Keep the calculations behind each estimate for your records.
- Do not mix up Tier II and TRI deadlines.
Where it appears on an SDS
- Section 15: Regulatory information. Often states that a component is subject to the reporting requirements of EPCRA section 313 and may give its concentration.
- Section 3: Composition / information on ingredients. Provides the component identities and ranges needed to calculate the quantity of a listed chemical in a product.
SDS content and wording vary by supplier. This page is general reference and does not replace the current SDS for your product.